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Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
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<blockquote data-quote="snavneet" data-source="post: 4022" data-attributes="member: 334"><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: blue"><strong>Sat Sri Akaal Ji.</strong></span></span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Dear SIkh Saahib, please also respond to my first post on this thread if you get some time. And I would also like to request others to take part in this lovely conversation, if they have the time.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">I will respond to your previous post line-by-line because I feel that our responses do not address everything we write within a post. We tend to skip those statements towards which we have nothing to say.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span><span style="font-size: 10px">The reason why the question still exists today is that most people who doubt God's existence know some bit about science but have only superficial knowledge of the teachings of the great Satgurus and Saints. The process of proving something in religion is very similar to the scientific process. In science, someone first comes up with a theory. Nobody starts believing a theory without proof, right? So, the scientist has to get together with like-minded people and has to test the theory practically. When the observations match the assumptions made in the theory, the scientist proclaims what (s)he has found. And most of the world starts believing it to be true without actually understanding the theory or going through the observations. These are the people who "trust" or "have faith" in the scientific community. Of course, they can carry out the same tests to confirm the theory's validity on their own, but a majority of people don't, becaue they get to see working applications of the theory. Now, with respect to religion, a person comes up with a theory that God exists. He tells the world about the same but nobody believes him. So, he decides that he has to get together with like-minded people, the "Satsangat", and then begins performing the practical techniques of finding God. Techniques like Simran and Meditation. Gautam Buddha came up with the theory that there has to be a way to end all suffering permanently. He first tried the techniques of the Sadhus and Yogis. He attained a certain state but did not consider it to be the ultimate state that he later called "Nirvana". He decided to carry on his search alone. He decided that he will continue meditation until he reaches the state of eternal bliss. And indeed, he found Nirvana. And then he began the process of his journeys on foot. He travelled long distances telling people about his observations. Now there were some who believed him without question and there were others who doubted him completely. Now, for the doubters to know how Buddha's experiment was successful, they would have had to carry out the same experiment on their own, isn't it? Just like scientists confirm another scientist's discovery by testing it independantly. So, a few people followed Buddha and found the Truth but many still continued to ridicule his theory, mostly because they were not ready to put all the effort that was required for the experiment. So, just like scientists, saints come up with a theory or decide to challenge an existing one and they decide to prove it just like scientists do. And once they know that their theory is correct, they proclaim it to the world. Now, to further their observations, scientists come up with practical applications of their theory, to convince the populace. Similarly, Saints bring forth the practical applications, which are a result of their quest. These practical applications are actually the perfect God-like behaviours that such awakened saints exhibit without fail. For example, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, remained satisfied even when people made Him sit on a burning iron plate and poured burning sands on Him all day long and that too during summer time. His body failed Him, but His soul was blissfully in Union with God. There are countless examples in Sikh history of the practical applications of the confirmed theory of our Satgurus. And you can find a gist of it in our daily Ardaas to Waheguru. Now, a scientist creates working gadgets to convince people about his theory. Satgurus exhibit qualities and behaviours to convince people about their discovery. Now, some people believe both of them without question. But if someone really wants to know how and why the scientist's gadget works then that someone will have to study the scientist's theory and gadget in complete detail. To know why and how Satgurus are able to exhibit such superhuman qualities throughout their lives without any change, we will have to follow the same path to discover what they found. Now, the path of the Satgurus is very hard and requires a lot of patience and persistent effort, due to this most people don't attempt to follow it and many who attempt don't wait till the end and then there are a very few left who actually reach the end of their search. Why is it so hard you say? Here you are trying to discover the Creator of the Universe, the Creator of every scientific process that makes our universe go round. So, the research, as scientists would call it, has to be superhumanly intense. Obviously, understanding little scientific theories is a lot easier for most humans and due to this none of us wants to carry out the religious experiments on our own. Moreover, science is making most of us too too lazy to work on this personal quest. Okay, anyway, did you know what Buddha said to His disciples when they asked him why He didn't talk about God when preaching? He told them that, "There is no use of talking about God with people who are asleep." We are all in a sleeping state my dear. So, if Buddha would have spoken of God to such people then they would have interpreted His teachings based on their own worldly understanding. These people would have made stone Gods, river Gods, sun Gods, etc. and wasted their lives by creating meaningless diversions from the true path. And Buddha decided that such people should only be told about how to get there and not who they are trying to get to. This is the reason why Hindu Brahmins in India, who followed similar rituals pertaining to polytheism, tried to eradicate Buddhism from India and succeeded to a large degree. Gautam Buddha, based on the understanding of the people of His time, decided to let people discover who God is once they reach the end of their spiritual quests. That is the reason why Buddhists don't talk about God.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span><span style="font-size: 10px">Evolution via natural selection is a good theory. But, nobody has actually seen evolution taking place in real time because it takes a lot of time and our lifespan would never permit us to see it happening. Most of us believe it because it sounds plausible, just like many believed in Newton's gravitational principles for nearly 200 years without question, because they thought it was plausible. And then Einstein came and proved it all to be an approximation. And in the beginning everybody rejected Einstein's theory except Max Planck who was the only one who could understand Relativity back then. It took two decades for Relativity to be widely accepted. And, relativity and evolution are too small when compared to the question of God's existence. And, actually, not many people care about evolution because it has no serious consequence on their present lives. If evolutionary theory could suddenly predict that some change in every man's body would make man extinct within a century then everyone would get interested. That is the time when you would find millions of believers and non-believers in the theory of evolution. For now, people just accept it because it's not affecting their lives right at the moment.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span><span style="font-size: 10px">Gurbani DOES NOT AGREE with the point that the possiblity of God's existence is very small. In fact, the Mool Mantar, which is where Gurbani starts, clearly defines God and His qualities and says that God can only be attained as Satguru's parsaad. So, let me assure you that there is no scientific way of knowing God and sooner or later, everyone is going to know about this. Gurbani also clarifies that hell is not a separate region in space, infact, all suffering that people experience on this planet is the only hell. This is where the idea of Karma comes in. And according to Gurbani, the Satan or the devil is actually our own mind over which we sleeping ones have barely any control, it makes us do evil things. This is where the 5 Vikaars - Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh and Ahankaar come in. They are the real devils and they take shelter in our mind. Now, "Contemplate" doesn't actually mean to sit and discuss. Discussion requires speech, speech requires the mind and the mind does not listen to its host, it shelters the 5 devils. Contemplation actually means observing the actions that the mind performs with full attention and awareness. It is a stage in meditation. When you contemplate, you observe your own actions or thoughts as if you were a third person. When you truly become aware of your actions, the mind fails to commit any wrong actions. Just like we shy away from an immoral act if someone else whom we know, suddenly takes notice of our wrong act. Once this contemplation is achieved, the next stage of spiritual evolution itself comes upon us. This is the beauty of the spiritual path, as you move further, more beautiful facts of the other realm are revealed to you intuitively. You'll never have to read a million books to gain knowledge of the other realm. Hence, religious paths laid down by the great Satgurus are for everyone. Any person, even who has not had any formal education can walk this path. Everything is revealed to you as you progress. This is self-realization!</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Veerji, tell me what difference does it make if someone says that God made us Directly or Indirectly? The truth remains that God made us, isn't it? Are we not just playing with words here? Gurbani clearly says that God made us all, our bodies and our souls and everything else that we see around us. Even if our bodies get created indirectly, it is his well-defined processes that create us, isn't it? And as I've said earlier, according to Gurbani, God only wants the human spirit to reach the state of total perfection. The body is bound by the rules that govern nature and acts as a temporary housing for our soul while we balance our karma, it really has no other purpose. Basically, God created the beginning and he also created time (kaal), which is God's instrument to change everything. Time creates us and kills us. So, Gurbani also maintains that God Created everything directly because everything works according to his laws.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Veerji, it is wrong to say that a religion took some stance towards Darwin's theory. A religion is made once and for all. It does not change. It teaches you how to live life, find a Satguru and through Him reach God. The stance that you are talking about was taken by the "so-called religious people", who thought that they were the proprietors of those religions. A truly religious stance can only be had from a Satguru, one who created the path for others to follow. Did Jesus Christ come and tell Darwin that what he was doing was wrong? The hypocrites with their meek understanding of their religions made personal translations of their Satguru's words and projected their views as the Satguru's views.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">In my first paragraph of this post, I've already told you how to prove the existence of the soul to yourself. Unless you carry out the experiment as mentioned by our Satgurus, you'll not find your soul. Perform the experiment with due diligence on your own and discover the truth for yourself. Nobody can be convinced through mere words about this higher plane of existence, it has to be felt. How can anyone truly feel someone else's sense of achievement? If I climbed Mount Everest and felt totally elated then how could I make you feel the same by just telling you about it. It has to be experienced first-hand. And experiencing your own soul and God are experiences totally beyond what you've already experienced, so one cannot learn even by comparison. It is beyond simple comprehension.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Veerji, when you say "scientists", you imply a group of people. Even I'm a computer scientist, I know about computers, but if you ask me about Zoology or Metallurgy, I might not know much, except some general knowledge. So, don't compare me to a huge group of people. Every individual is specialized only in certain fields. No one knows about everything. Only Satgurus, the perfectly awakened ones, know everything. All I mentioned was that science is not yet refined enough to know the soul. Now, do scientists know about every phenomenon in this Universe? No. This is the reason I said that. What I meant was that as science grows further, as it begins to explore deeper and deeper it will find new facts and might one day know something about the connection between the body and our conscious selves; as scientists generally refer to the soul. And, this is what some of the worlds greatest scientists have said during the later stages of their lives. I would like to draw quick references to Stephen Hawking, Roger Penrose and Albert Einstein who have all made such statements.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Veerji, who told you that God stands above us and governs all of us? Are you referring to the God mentioned in the Old Testament? Besides, hasn't he given you a freedom of choice? You're exercising that freedom to deny His existence, so is he harming you in any way for that? My dear, God is always merciful. He is a fountain of mercy. And, who forces you to believe in God? Did our Satgurus ever force anyone to believe in God? Never. They only asked us to follow a path at the end of which the Truth would be revealed; the soul would be revealed; God would be revealed. Who is asking you to get convinced about God in just a moment? I've just been constantly telling you to follow the path that our Satgurus have laid down for us and we would automatically know all there is to be known. Perform it as an experiment, what's wrong in it? And tell me, if everyone Gains One's own Definition about GOD, how would there ever be peace in the world? That would result in further discrimination and religion would again come to be blamed. Religion is actually meant to unite people and communities, but in the hands of hypocritical and fanatical people, it has become an instrument of separation. But, that is not the religion our Satgurus have taught us about.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Firstly, if you believe that a Superhuman stands for a person who can perform miracles then you're mistaken. The true superhuman is one who has conquered one's own mind. Our Satgurus are Superhuman because although they had human form, their minds were perfectly God-like. For now, it is alright if you don't believe in prophecies or messiahs. It is not what God expects of you. Our Satgurus never said that. It is what we, the followers, call our Satgurus (the Messiahs) because once we realize the truth for ourselves, we find out that they came to deliver us from all this suffering. Infact, Satguru Nanak Dev Ji, only told everyone that He had found union with the Infinite Lord, Waheguru. He just gave your deism a firm footing. Let God be the foundation of your every action, that is what he told us. And what is so wrong about believing in God the way our Satguru defines Him.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Our Satguru Granth Sahib Ji gives us the following basic description of God, which you must be aware of. But I've to quote this again because on one hand you say that the knowledge of Satguruji is of enormous value and on the other hand you're barely ready to accept the foundation lines of Gurbani, which clearly mention that God is True.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Ik Ong Kaar - There is only One Creator, Sat Naam - He (and His Name) are True, Karta Purakh - The Creative Doer, Nirbhau - Without Fear, Nirvair - Without hatred, Akaal Moorat - The Timeless Being, Ajooni - One who is beyond Birth and Death, Saibhang - One who is self-illuminated, Gur Parsaad - One who can be received as a gift from a Satguru, Aad Sach - God was true in the beginning, Jugad Sach - God has been true throughout the ages, Hai Bhi Sach - God is True now, Nanak Hosi Bhi Sach - And God will remain True forever!</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Isn't that a great description? Isn't that a direct reference to God? Moreover, when one unites with God, one attains all the perfect qualities, just like our Satgurus did. And with those perfect qualities, how can anyone perform a bad deed? How can there ever be suffering in this world? This world will become the perfect paradise. That is the reason why we have religions. They're the great ships that help us cross the terrible world-ocean. That is the reason why we believe in God. We do it to attain that perfect state in which every deed we do becomes the epitome of true service to the entire Creation. I'm sure that if intellectuals like you truly embrace Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji's teachings and bring them to the world's notice then you all would take the first step in eradicating suffering from this world. The science that you are so proud of is nothing but an instrument that can be used to perform good deeds, but it can easily be used by a diseased mind to add even more suffering to the already suffering human race. Think about all this.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Veerji, putting an end to all kinds of suffering is truly our goal. But, let me tell you that, science alone will never help you do that. That's the reason I quoted Einstein in my previous post, implying that even such a great scientist could finally understand what the importance of religion is. But the control that fanatics exercise on most world religions has to be brought to an end. And we need good intellectuals like you to explore the depths of Gurbani and then take up a righteous stance by putting the teachings of Gurbani in the world's perspective.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="snavneet, post: 4022, member: 334"] [size=2][color=blue][b]Sat Sri Akaal Ji.[/b][/color] Dear SIkh Saahib, please also respond to my first post on this thread if you get some time. And I would also like to request others to take part in this lovely conversation, if they have the time. I will respond to your previous post line-by-line because I feel that our responses do not address everything we write within a post. We tend to skip those statements towards which we have nothing to say. [/size][font=Times New Roman][/font][size=2]The reason why the question still exists today is that most people who doubt God's existence know some bit about science but have only superficial knowledge of the teachings of the great Satgurus and Saints. The process of proving something in religion is very similar to the scientific process. In science, someone first comes up with a theory. Nobody starts believing a theory without proof, right? So, the scientist has to get together with like-minded people and has to test the theory practically. When the observations match the assumptions made in the theory, the scientist proclaims what (s)he has found. And most of the world starts believing it to be true without actually understanding the theory or going through the observations. These are the people who "trust" or "have faith" in the scientific community. Of course, they can carry out the same tests to confirm the theory's validity on their own, but a majority of people don't, becaue they get to see working applications of the theory. Now, with respect to religion, a person comes up with a theory that God exists. He tells the world about the same but nobody believes him. So, he decides that he has to get together with like-minded people, the "Satsangat", and then begins performing the practical techniques of finding God. Techniques like Simran and Meditation. Gautam Buddha came up with the theory that there has to be a way to end all suffering permanently. He first tried the techniques of the Sadhus and Yogis. He attained a certain state but did not consider it to be the ultimate state that he later called "Nirvana". He decided to carry on his search alone. He decided that he will continue meditation until he reaches the state of eternal bliss. And indeed, he found Nirvana. And then he began the process of his journeys on foot. He travelled long distances telling people about his observations. Now there were some who believed him without question and there were others who doubted him completely. Now, for the doubters to know how Buddha's experiment was successful, they would have had to carry out the same experiment on their own, isn't it? Just like scientists confirm another scientist's discovery by testing it independantly. So, a few people followed Buddha and found the Truth but many still continued to ridicule his theory, mostly because they were not ready to put all the effort that was required for the experiment. So, just like scientists, saints come up with a theory or decide to challenge an existing one and they decide to prove it just like scientists do. And once they know that their theory is correct, they proclaim it to the world. Now, to further their observations, scientists come up with practical applications of their theory, to convince the populace. Similarly, Saints bring forth the practical applications, which are a result of their quest. These practical applications are actually the perfect God-like behaviours that such awakened saints exhibit without fail. For example, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, remained satisfied even when people made Him sit on a burning iron plate and poured burning sands on Him all day long and that too during summer time. His body failed Him, but His soul was blissfully in Union with God. There are countless examples in Sikh history of the practical applications of the confirmed theory of our Satgurus. And you can find a gist of it in our daily Ardaas to Waheguru. Now, a scientist creates working gadgets to convince people about his theory. Satgurus exhibit qualities and behaviours to convince people about their discovery. Now, some people believe both of them without question. But if someone really wants to know how and why the scientist's gadget works then that someone will have to study the scientist's theory and gadget in complete detail. To know why and how Satgurus are able to exhibit such superhuman qualities throughout their lives without any change, we will have to follow the same path to discover what they found. Now, the path of the Satgurus is very hard and requires a lot of patience and persistent effort, due to this most people don't attempt to follow it and many who attempt don't wait till the end and then there are a very few left who actually reach the end of their search. Why is it so hard you say? Here you are trying to discover the Creator of the Universe, the Creator of every scientific process that makes our universe go round. So, the research, as scientists would call it, has to be superhumanly intense. Obviously, understanding little scientific theories is a lot easier for most humans and due to this none of us wants to carry out the religious experiments on our own. Moreover, science is making most of us too too lazy to work on this personal quest. Okay, anyway, did you know what Buddha said to His disciples when they asked him why He didn't talk about God when preaching? He told them that, "There is no use of talking about God with people who are asleep." We are all in a sleeping state my dear. So, if Buddha would have spoken of God to such people then they would have interpreted His teachings based on their own worldly understanding. These people would have made stone Gods, river Gods, sun Gods, etc. and wasted their lives by creating meaningless diversions from the true path. And Buddha decided that such people should only be told about how to get there and not who they are trying to get to. This is the reason why Hindu Brahmins in India, who followed similar rituals pertaining to polytheism, tried to eradicate Buddhism from India and succeeded to a large degree. Gautam Buddha, based on the understanding of the people of His time, decided to let people discover who God is once they reach the end of their spiritual quests. That is the reason why Buddhists don't talk about God. [/size][font=Times New Roman][/font][size=2]Evolution via natural selection is a good theory. But, nobody has actually seen evolution taking place in real time because it takes a lot of time and our lifespan would never permit us to see it happening. Most of us believe it because it sounds plausible, just like many believed in Newton's gravitational principles for nearly 200 years without question, because they thought it was plausible. And then Einstein came and proved it all to be an approximation. And in the beginning everybody rejected Einstein's theory except Max Planck who was the only one who could understand Relativity back then. It took two decades for Relativity to be widely accepted. And, relativity and evolution are too small when compared to the question of God's existence. And, actually, not many people care about evolution because it has no serious consequence on their present lives. If evolutionary theory could suddenly predict that some change in every man's body would make man extinct within a century then everyone would get interested. That is the time when you would find millions of believers and non-believers in the theory of evolution. For now, people just accept it because it's not affecting their lives right at the moment. [/size][font=Times New Roman][/font][size=2]Gurbani DOES NOT AGREE with the point that the possiblity of God's existence is very small. In fact, the Mool Mantar, which is where Gurbani starts, clearly defines God and His qualities and says that God can only be attained as Satguru's parsaad. So, let me assure you that there is no scientific way of knowing God and sooner or later, everyone is going to know about this. Gurbani also clarifies that hell is not a separate region in space, infact, all suffering that people experience on this planet is the only hell. This is where the idea of Karma comes in. And according to Gurbani, the Satan or the devil is actually our own mind over which we sleeping ones have barely any control, it makes us do evil things. This is where the 5 Vikaars - Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh and Ahankaar come in. They are the real devils and they take shelter in our mind. Now, "Contemplate" doesn't actually mean to sit and discuss. Discussion requires speech, speech requires the mind and the mind does not listen to its host, it shelters the 5 devils. Contemplation actually means observing the actions that the mind performs with full attention and awareness. It is a stage in meditation. When you contemplate, you observe your own actions or thoughts as if you were a third person. When you truly become aware of your actions, the mind fails to commit any wrong actions. Just like we shy away from an immoral act if someone else whom we know, suddenly takes notice of our wrong act. Once this contemplation is achieved, the next stage of spiritual evolution itself comes upon us. This is the beauty of the spiritual path, as you move further, more beautiful facts of the other realm are revealed to you intuitively. You'll never have to read a million books to gain knowledge of the other realm. Hence, religious paths laid down by the great Satgurus are for everyone. Any person, even who has not had any formal education can walk this path. Everything is revealed to you as you progress. This is self-realization! Veerji, tell me what difference does it make if someone says that God made us Directly or Indirectly? The truth remains that God made us, isn't it? Are we not just playing with words here? Gurbani clearly says that God made us all, our bodies and our souls and everything else that we see around us. Even if our bodies get created indirectly, it is his well-defined processes that create us, isn't it? And as I've said earlier, according to Gurbani, God only wants the human spirit to reach the state of total perfection. The body is bound by the rules that govern nature and acts as a temporary housing for our soul while we balance our karma, it really has no other purpose. Basically, God created the beginning and he also created time (kaal), which is God's instrument to change everything. Time creates us and kills us. So, Gurbani also maintains that God Created everything directly because everything works according to his laws. Veerji, it is wrong to say that a religion took some stance towards Darwin's theory. A religion is made once and for all. It does not change. It teaches you how to live life, find a Satguru and through Him reach God. The stance that you are talking about was taken by the "so-called religious people", who thought that they were the proprietors of those religions. A truly religious stance can only be had from a Satguru, one who created the path for others to follow. Did Jesus Christ come and tell Darwin that what he was doing was wrong? The hypocrites with their meek understanding of their religions made personal translations of their Satguru's words and projected their views as the Satguru's views. In my first paragraph of this post, I've already told you how to prove the existence of the soul to yourself. Unless you carry out the experiment as mentioned by our Satgurus, you'll not find your soul. Perform the experiment with due diligence on your own and discover the truth for yourself. Nobody can be convinced through mere words about this higher plane of existence, it has to be felt. How can anyone truly feel someone else's sense of achievement? If I climbed Mount Everest and felt totally elated then how could I make you feel the same by just telling you about it. It has to be experienced first-hand. And experiencing your own soul and God are experiences totally beyond what you've already experienced, so one cannot learn even by comparison. It is beyond simple comprehension. Veerji, when you say "scientists", you imply a group of people. Even I'm a computer scientist, I know about computers, but if you ask me about Zoology or Metallurgy, I might not know much, except some general knowledge. So, don't compare me to a huge group of people. Every individual is specialized only in certain fields. No one knows about everything. Only Satgurus, the perfectly awakened ones, know everything. All I mentioned was that science is not yet refined enough to know the soul. Now, do scientists know about every phenomenon in this Universe? No. This is the reason I said that. What I meant was that as science grows further, as it begins to explore deeper and deeper it will find new facts and might one day know something about the connection between the body and our conscious selves; as scientists generally refer to the soul. And, this is what some of the worlds greatest scientists have said during the later stages of their lives. I would like to draw quick references to Stephen Hawking, Roger Penrose and Albert Einstein who have all made such statements. Veerji, who told you that God stands above us and governs all of us? Are you referring to the God mentioned in the Old Testament? Besides, hasn't he given you a freedom of choice? You're exercising that freedom to deny His existence, so is he harming you in any way for that? My dear, God is always merciful. He is a fountain of mercy. And, who forces you to believe in God? Did our Satgurus ever force anyone to believe in God? Never. They only asked us to follow a path at the end of which the Truth would be revealed; the soul would be revealed; God would be revealed. Who is asking you to get convinced about God in just a moment? I've just been constantly telling you to follow the path that our Satgurus have laid down for us and we would automatically know all there is to be known. Perform it as an experiment, what's wrong in it? And tell me, if everyone Gains One's own Definition about GOD, how would there ever be peace in the world? That would result in further discrimination and religion would again come to be blamed. Religion is actually meant to unite people and communities, but in the hands of hypocritical and fanatical people, it has become an instrument of separation. But, that is not the religion our Satgurus have taught us about. Firstly, if you believe that a Superhuman stands for a person who can perform miracles then you're mistaken. The true superhuman is one who has conquered one's own mind. Our Satgurus are Superhuman because although they had human form, their minds were perfectly God-like. For now, it is alright if you don't believe in prophecies or messiahs. It is not what God expects of you. Our Satgurus never said that. It is what we, the followers, call our Satgurus (the Messiahs) because once we realize the truth for ourselves, we find out that they came to deliver us from all this suffering. Infact, Satguru Nanak Dev Ji, only told everyone that He had found union with the Infinite Lord, Waheguru. He just gave your deism a firm footing. Let God be the foundation of your every action, that is what he told us. And what is so wrong about believing in God the way our Satguru defines Him. Our Satguru Granth Sahib Ji gives us the following basic description of God, which you must be aware of. But I've to quote this again because on one hand you say that the knowledge of Satguruji is of enormous value and on the other hand you're barely ready to accept the foundation lines of Gurbani, which clearly mention that God is True. Ik Ong Kaar - There is only One Creator, Sat Naam - He (and His Name) are True, Karta Purakh - The Creative Doer, Nirbhau - Without Fear, Nirvair - Without hatred, Akaal Moorat - The Timeless Being, Ajooni - One who is beyond Birth and Death, Saibhang - One who is self-illuminated, Gur Parsaad - One who can be received as a gift from a Satguru, Aad Sach - God was true in the beginning, Jugad Sach - God has been true throughout the ages, Hai Bhi Sach - God is True now, Nanak Hosi Bhi Sach - And God will remain True forever! Isn't that a great description? Isn't that a direct reference to God? Moreover, when one unites with God, one attains all the perfect qualities, just like our Satgurus did. And with those perfect qualities, how can anyone perform a bad deed? How can there ever be suffering in this world? This world will become the perfect paradise. That is the reason why we have religions. They're the great ships that help us cross the terrible world-ocean. That is the reason why we believe in God. We do it to attain that perfect state in which every deed we do becomes the epitome of true service to the entire Creation. I'm sure that if intellectuals like you truly embrace Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji's teachings and bring them to the world's notice then you all would take the first step in eradicating suffering from this world. The science that you are so proud of is nothing but an instrument that can be used to perform good deeds, but it can easily be used by a diseased mind to add even more suffering to the already suffering human race. Think about all this. Veerji, putting an end to all kinds of suffering is truly our goal. But, let me tell you that, science alone will never help you do that. That's the reason I quoted Einstein in my previous post, implying that even such a great scientist could finally understand what the importance of religion is. But the control that fanatics exercise on most world religions has to be brought to an end. And we need good intellectuals like you to explore the depths of Gurbani and then take up a righteous stance by putting the teachings of Gurbani in the world's perspective. [/size] [/QUOTE]
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