Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Killing the Five Evils: Overcoming Anger (Krodh)

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

sloku ]salok
Salok:

kwm k®oD Aru loB moh ibnis jwie AhMmyv ]kaam krodhh ar lobh moh binas jaae aha(n)maevSexual desire, anger, greed and emotional attachment - may these be gone, and egotism as well.


nwnk pRB srxwgqI kir pRswdu gurdyv ]1]naanak prabh saranaagathee kar prasaadh guradhaev 1Nanak seeks the Sanctuary of God; please bless me with Your Grace, O Divine Guru. 1

Anger

Satguru Sri Guru Tegh Bahadhur Ji Maharaj, the king of kings, the saint of saints and the blanket of the world said to his sikhs, 'In anger man commits evil deeds. He loses at once his senses, and his religion. When anger springs up in a man's heart, what crime is there he will not perpetrate?'

He thinks nothing of sinning against his parents and his holy Guru. He takes the life which he ought to protect, and utters nothing but harsh language. He will not refrain from any act even though he sacrifices his life in its execution. There is no greater sacrifice than life, and yet the foolish person will deliberately make it. The angry man's soul burns if he does not obtain his desires. He cannot eat or sleep. Day and night he is tortured by his passion, and forms endless plans for its gratification. In this way he passes his time in misery.

Forgiveness

'To exercise forgiveness is a great act. To exer­cise forgiveness is to give alms. Forgiveness is equal to ablutions at all places of pilgrimage. For­giveness ensures man's salvation. There is no virtue equal to forgiveness.'

'Whenever you get the chance generously exercise it. Never abandon this virtue, but ever preserve it in your hearts. You are ordered in the Granth Sahib (Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj) to lay up the wealth of the Name, so that it may accompany you in this world and in the next.'

'This wealth is only found in the companion­ship of good men, and cannot be obtained by any other means. My followers possess this wealth which is superior to all jewels and gems. The saints hoard it day and night.'

'It cannot be purchased, no thief can steal, no fire consume, no water drown it, whereas worldly wealth is generally accumulated by sin. Thieves can steal it, pickpockets purloin it, kings seize it, fire burn it, and earth rot it. At the hour of death this sinful wealth only causes regret, and, through man's desires being fixed on it his soul falls into terrible hell.'

I will post a sakhi relating to this next time.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

yeaaaaa, ur back, finally some quality internet reading again

Mr Singh said...

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence....

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh