Virtues And Evils

[arshi]

VIRTUES AND EVILS​

(Rajinder Singh ‘Arshi’)​

This is a summary of the previous five articles on the negative traits (the Five Thieves) that hound us throughout our lives. The Five Evils not only dominate our lives but also block our spiritual advancement. The table at the end of the article shows the attributes needed to turn the negative energy into positive outcomes.

A manmukh will not learn even from his parents. Gurmakh, on the other hand, will keep an open ‘spiritual’ mind and will learn all the time, from Scriptures, Sadh Sangat and general members of the public. Like a programmed radio frequency, he will pick up the right vibes automatically. He will learn from Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike. True wisdom is not the monopoly of Sikhs only – that is why Guru Arjan Dev Ji incorporated the Bani of non-Sikh saints and philosophers in Guru Granth Sahib.

In the earlier articles a brief study was made of the five thieves (also referred to as the five evils, stalwarts, or simply negative traits). Guru Nanak recommends that these must be subdued to hold our consciousness in place (panch maar chit rakhahu thaa-ay – SGGS 1189).

The five evils are summarised below:


1. Kaam (lust)

This may be defined as an essential and natural desire, but controlled and coupled with a sense of responsibility and commitment. This is a necessary process for procreation as designed by mother nature. A person with an obsessive propensity towards sensual desires is often referred to as a ‘kaami pursh’ - a person obsessed with unrestricted propensity towards lust.

Sikhism does not prohibit normal and responsible relationship in the ‘house-holder scenario’ (grahisthi). However, relationship outside marriage or in the form of unrestrained animal lust for pure physical gratification, without a sense of commitment, is sinful. Sikhism supports responsible and controlled physical relationship between man and women only within the sanctity of marriage (grahista).

If the fire and energy which generates unrestrained inclination towards kaam is channeled into meditation then ‘kaam-ras’ (tendency towards sensual pleasures) can be transformed into ‘nam-ras’ (the ambrosial nectar of Lord’s name).


2. Krodh (anger or rage)

There is no direct or satisfactory English translation of krodh (as we understand it from Gurbani). Whilst rage is perceived as the violent extreme, anger is the milder version of krodh. The need to differentiate between gussa (anger) and rage is therefore important, although common anger can easily develop into hatred and violent rage

Negative emotions arising ‘within’ manifest themselves in violent forces of destruction ‘without’ and gradually surrender to rage which, if not controlled, will erupt, causing havoc and destruction outside through violent action and reaction on part of the individual concerned. As a consequence it results in misery for both the offending person and many others. Krodh fired by ambition is even more dangerous. It has caused world unrest which we can see happening in our own lifetime.

Krodh must be controlled, at the very least, if not completely eradicated. The energy which fires up krodh should be diverted into mercy and righteous action. It must be channeled into valour and courage to stand up for Truth and protection of the weak and infirm.


3. Lobh (greed)

Lobh is an incessant tendency towards gaining worldly possessions and wealth. Such obsession in one simple word is ‘greed’. This constant propensity towards materialistic values is fuelled by avarice for things that are not really necessary for leading a normal life, a life based on decent values and honest living.

The driving force behind a greedy person‘s intention is the desire for attention, comfort and in some cases power. Greed knows no limits. The abyss of greed is bottomless. A greedy person is always hungry for more wealth and never achieves contentment

To curb the desire for unnecessary materialistic things which may or may not enrich our earthly lives but which will definitely not help our progression towards the divine merger with the Universal Soul, we must resolve to subdue this passion for greed. The following courses of action are recommended:

· Regular meditation

· Nurture humility and keep good company

· Serve humanity through Sewa and charitable work

· Question the objective of the activity

· Cut down attachment

· Nurture contentment


4. Moh (attachment)

Moh represents a condition of stupification, utter bewilderment or perplexity. In simple terms we may define moh as an attachment to materialistic values and worldly relations. The influence of Moh clouds and corrupts our mind and renders it incapable of making rational and unbiased decisions, opinions and judgments.

Moh drives us to entrap our souls in the quagmire of maya and we may reach a point of no return, at least in this lifetime. Only the grace of Guru may save us.

Maya, an infatuation for the ’illusory’ world represents the transient world with all its delusions, distractions and illusory senses. Our existence on this earth is a passing phase and all the accolades in the world may not render our souls to travel lightly when this mortal life comes to an end.

The antidote of moh is detachment. But detachment must not be interpreted as isolation or celibacy, which is shunned by the Sikh Gurus. Detachment here means that whilst living in the real world one must not let the world control the mind but train the mind to negotiate life according to the tenets as expounded by the Sikh Gurus. A Sikh must seek gyan (spiritual knowledge) from the Living Light Guru Granth Sahib. If only a Sikh listens to his Guru he will uncover the priceless gems inherent in his soul.

Clean living will render the mind clean, sharp and discerning, and like a processed film roll, receptive only to pure thoughts which will result in noble deeds. Pure intelligence is like the purest of paper ready for writing pure thoughts by burning the emotional attachment and grinding it into suitable ink for the task:

jaal moh ghas mas kar maṯ kaagaḏ kar saar – Guru Nanak SGGS 16.

Transform the ecstasy of attachment (moh-ras) into the ecstasy of love (prem-ras). Rememberthatour existence in this world is a passing phase – it is not eternal.


5. Hunkaar or Houmai (ego/egoism)

We spend the bulk of our lives chasing mundane things only to boost our perception of self importance. This obsession with worldly pleasures widens the gap between our conscious mind and the quintessence soul. The mind clouded with the smoke of maya leads the soul astray and away from meditation. Egoism, pride and bondage must be renounced if one is to seek liberation. Guru Tegh Bahadur advises:

taj abhimaan moh maya fun bẖajan raam chiṯ laava­o - SGGS 219).

To renounce houmai and the related ills of excessive and over-bearing ambition and anxiety one must seek the company of the Holy (Saadh Sangat). With constant meditation we must dig a deep pit and in it bury our egotistical pride, emotional attachment and the desires of my mind (Guru Arjan Dev SGGS 671). Just as the thick simmal tree stands tall, straight and proud but does not produce anything of value, in the same way an egocentric person can never benefit society.


CONCLUSION

Greed, pride and arrogance will render a scholar’s knowledge useless on the spiritual plane, where he is simply seen as a fool (SGGS 140). Serving humanity and sharing one’s fruits with others (vand shakna) go a long way in subduing ego. Guru Nanak, therefore, stresses the need to inculcate humility as an essential quality for the spiritual seeker.

The mind is chainchal (restless and dynamic), one moment it is here and the next it takes off on its flights of fancy - in a split second the thought process assumes many shapes and forms. For this reason the mind has to be reined in, it has to be harnessed; it must be tampered with the sublime touch of Shabad, caressingthe soulintoa spiritual awakening, searching for that ultimate goal of Sehaj Avastha.

Only when the mind is tamed will it begin to look for solutions to harness the negative propensities of kaam, krodh, lobh, moh and hunkaar. Only then will the mind search for remedies to rein in the evils that torment the soul and lead it astray. A mind engaged in negative pursuits will ‘corrupt’ the soul - a sick mind will generate spiritual ailments whilst a healthy mind will engage in simran and rid the the body and the mind of all ailments:

kar isnaan simar parabh apnaa man tan bha-ay arogaa.
After your cleansing bath praise the Lord and your body and mind will become free of (physical, mental and spiritual) ailments. (SGGS 61)


TABLE: TRANSFORMING ENERGY

NEGATIVE ENERGY .... ACTION: CULTIVATE/DO .... POSITIVE OUTCOME

Lust (kaam) .... Meditation (Naam-ras) .... Bliss (anand)

Rage (krodh) .... Tolerance (dheeraj) .... Mercy, kindness (daya)

Lobh (greed) .... Contentment (santokh, sabar) .... Virtuous life style

Moh (attachment) .... knowledge, wisdom (Gyan) .... Detachment from maya

Ahankar (ego) .... Service, charity (seva) .... Humility (nimrata)


Author's notes:

1 Being the first edition this article may undergo changes for quality and accuracy.

2 For simplicity, throughout this article, I have referred to the masculine gender but, wherever appropriate, this should be read as including the female gender.

3 Differences of opinion are inevitable when interpreting Gurbani. The author most humbly regrets any inaccuracy or errors in quoting or interpreting Gurbani and prays Sat Guru grants him greater insight into understanding the Guru’s word.

Copyright Rajinder Singh ’Arshi’

 

[dalbirk]

A really very very inspiring article Arshi ji . So much said in so little words .

 

[arshi]

Gurfateh Dalbir Singh Ji

I draw my own inspiration from the kind words and appreciation expressed by dedicated Sikhs like yourself.

All of us, of course, draw our inspiration from the Jagdi Jyot Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Rajinder Singh 'Arshi'

 

[Tejwant Singh]

Arshi ji,


Guru Fateh.

A very good synopsis on one's life as an individual and the ill traits we carry which can become the beasts of burden if not tackled with the help of SGGS, our ONLY GURU.

Before I begin to comment on this wonderful thought, I would like to make one thing very clear. There is no mal intention or any criticism intended nor is it directed towards any of your points. My thoughts are just my own personal observations which can also be contested by any of the fellow members including yourself. This is the only way, we, as Sikhs can learn by breeding open mindedness. As they say, “one can not embrace the world with one's arms crossed”. Sikhi teaches us to open our arms which in return help us come out of our own self created fetal positions no matter how much we have grown from the outside.

So, I apologise in advance for any indiscretions that one may find in my comments because I am as fallible as others, if not more.

The Title: VIRTUES AND EVILS

For me, Evil is the word used and practiced in the dogmatic religions such as the Semitic ones and also in the Hinduism and in its mythology a lot. Allow me to give you a few examples:

From the OT which is part of the Scriptures for the Jews and the Christians.

Isaiah 13:15-18 If God can find you, he will thrust you through, smash your children to pieces before your eyes, and rape your wife.

Jeremiah 19:7-9 God will make parents eat their own children, and friends eat each other.

God said to the others, Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children." (Ezekiel 9:5-6)

GOD created perfect EVIL (Ezekiel 28:15).

There are many more examples in the Holy Bible like that.

Now let’s check the way Evil in the Holy Quran:

In fact, the Quran says it is Satan who does:

O men, eat of what is in the earth lawful and good; and follow not the steps of Satan; he is a manifest foe to you. He only commands you to evil and indecency, and that you should speak against God such things as you know not. S. 2:168-169

The Quran further says that Allah does not destroy any city unjustly:

That is because thy Lord would never destroy the cities unjustly, while their inhabitants were heedless. S. 6:131

Yet we are told elsewhere that Allah does indeed command wickedness and indecency:

And when We desire to destroy a city, WE COMMAND its men who live at ease, AND THEY COMMIT UNGODLINESS therein, then the Word is realized against it, and We destroy it utterly. S. 17:16

In Hinduism we know the Evil ritual of Sati which Guru Nanak abolished. The story of Dropti shows the evil and we also know the story about Bhagat Prahlad in SGGS and many other stories and parables mentioned about evil in the SGGS, our ONLY GURU.

Evil was also committed on the Sikhs in 1947 and in 1984.

But Sikhi does not believe, nor does it propagate Evil.To the contrary. It is all about Love which can only happen when we Love the Nirbhau and Nirvair- Ik Ong Kaar.

So, I would rather use the phrase ill-traits for the five thieves than evil.

In fact you did mention them as negative traits- which is the same as ill traits, ( the five thieves) in your first 2 lines but again your changed them to five Evils.

Yes, I agree with you that these five thieves-ill traits are the roadblocks in our Gurmat lives but the good thing is that with the help SGGS as our tool box they can be converted into mere bumps on the road of our Gurmat Marg.

In other words, one, with the help of SGGS can use these stumbling blocks and turn them into stepping stones by lassoing these five thieves and talking control of them.

There is an interesting program that you may have watched on the National Geography Channel called “The Dog Whisperer” in which the host Cesar Millan teaches both the dogs and their owners how to take control of the animals rather than the other way around.

So, these 5 thieves are like spoiled pets one can say and we should train ourselves with the help of SGGS how to get control of them and use them to our advantage.

In other words, we have to become the “Five thief whisperers” using SGGS as our only guide.

One more thing I would like to clarify is that my questions are not directed to you in my post but I am thinking aloud to understand myself about this important subject.

You write:

A manmukh will not learn even from his parents. Gurmakh, on the other hand, will keep an open ‘spiritual’ mind and will learn all the time, from Scriptures, Sadh Sangat and general members of the public. Like a programmed radio frequency, he will pick up the right vibes automatically.

1. I would like to know how does a child become Manmukh?

2. Do the parents play any role in him/her becoming so?

3. If the parents realize that on time, is there a remedy where he/she can also become a seeker?

4. How can we as parents reject someone who was in his/her mother’s womb for nine months and was breastfed the same way as the other one?

5. Who are his real guides?

We all know what happens to the Gurmukh but isn’t it our duty as parents and with the help of SGGS to turn all our kids into Gurmukhs?

If they do not turn to be like that, I think the fault lies in us as parents and our lack of parenting skills, not with our children whom we are quick to label as Manmukhs .

He will learn from Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike. True wisdom is not the monopoly of Sikhs only – that is why Guru Arjan Dev Ji incorporated the Bani of non-Sikh saints and philosophers in Guru Granth Sahib.

A Sikh means a student, a learner, a seeker. So, I am a bit confused by your assertion above of someone being a non-Sikh, meaning not a learner. I am sure you do not mean that by calling other people whose Gurbani is in SGGS as non- Sikhs. All whose Gurbani is included in the SGGS were Sikhs because they love the only ONE SOURCE which is IK ONG KAAR.


1. Kaam (lust).

I agree with you on this that it should be only practiced between the married couples but not solely for procreation because humans are the only animals that do not have specific time of the year to mate. So, love making with the one that one loves can strengthen and solidify the relationship and companionship, especially when we grow old and the sexual lust dissipates, however the moments spent in the past cement the relationship in the later stage of the couple’s lives.


2. Krodh:

Krodh is actually anger that breeds disdain and hatred which is a very negative trait. Krodh makes us find faults in others in order to hide ours. It is a negative proactive approach which creates submission and repression. Krodh also breeds vengeance and leaves no room for forgiveness.

Little does the Krodhi know that Forgiveness exists only in the mind of the forgiver, and therefore requires no "acceptance".

3. Lobh (Greed).

There is a very thin line between lobh (greed) and necessity. Abraham Maslow’s triangle of self actualization shows this quite well. And one tends to cross this like a rope skipper which happens quite often.

Is making money bad? The more money one makes as a business man for example, more employees one can hire and help others in this way.

Is giving the best education to our kids bad?

Is working to the best of our abilities, provided one does not step on other people’s toes bad?

If all these good traits can bring wealth which can help others, then there is nothing wrong with that but it is all positive.

Only truthful living can teach us how not to cross the line but to widen it with the help of our tool box, SGGS.


4. Moh.

I would call moh more than attachment. Allow me to coin a phrase for Moh- Salivating uncontrollable desire- a mental gluttony.

It can also be in a physical hunger when our eyes become bigger than our tummies and we stuff ourselves till we are ready to explode and then grab for antacid to soothe our discomfort driven by this physical moh which leads to obesity. I heard some of the obese pilgrims on their annual mechanical rituals to go to Hemkunt Sahib died of heart attacks because of too much moh wrapped around their guts.

Moh also gets intertwined with lobh where we start competing for a bigger house,better cars, bigger diamond studded Khandas around our necks and longer and bigger necklaces with better jewels than our friendly neighbours, the other Singhs.

Yes, once it becomes a rat race, there is no way of turning back. We all look like obese people, both from the outside and the inside unable to walk towards the Gurmat path, neither physically nor mentally because we have buried ourselves with the gaudy heavy jewels and the lard, both accumulated with the help of moh and lobh.

The antidote of moh is detachment. But detachment must not be interpreted as isolation or celibacy, which is shunned by the Sikh Gurus. Detachment here means that whilst living in the real world one must not let the world control the mind but train the mind to negotiate life according to the tenets as expounded by the Sikh Gurus. A Sikh must seek gyan (spiritual knowledge) from the Living Light Guru Granth Sahib. If only a Sikh listens to his Guru he will uncover the priceless gems inherent in his soul.

In my opinion, the word detachment does not do any justice to the antidote of Moh laced with Lobh. Allow me to coin another phrase to express myself- disciplined empathy.

It is impossible to detach ourselves from these 5 thieves which are part and parcel of the human creation. They all dwell in us. We have to train ourselves with the help of SGGS to control them rather than being controlled by them. As mentioned earlier, we have to become the “ The five thief whisperers” 24-7 which does not require detachment but continuous handling of the 5 leashes.

5. Hunkaar or Houmai—Me-ism

The intercourse among Kaam, Krodh, Lobh and Moh gives birth to Hunkaar-me-ism where- I, me- become not only the cornerstone of one’s life but they help one build a huge portal to welcome the like minded born out of the same gestation.

Self becomes the only thing that matters rather than “Tunhee, Tunhee”.

We become infallible.

We project ourselves like Cristo Redentor- the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer spreading his arms on top of the mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. We become the true untouchables-“The real Brahmins”.

Now the question arises, how can we become the “Five thief whisperers”?

There is only one way to do that. That is we must use Gurbani as the catalyst to use our inner energy in a positive manner.

With a lead pencil, one can draw like Sobha Singh or Leonardo da Vinci or one can kill a person. It is the same energy. So if we use SGGS,our only GURU as the catalyst then we can all become Sobha Singhs and Leonardos. Or even better, we can all become Nanaks.

Arshi ji, Thank you very much for allowing me to think aloud with the help of your great essay.

Tejwant Singh


Cristo Redentor- Christ The redeemer. Rio de Janeiro- Brasil.

 

[arshi]

Tejwant Singh ji

Gurfateh

Sorry for the belated response. It is that time of the year for me when 24 hours a day are just not sufficient.

I really appreciate your taking up the time to send in a detailed response to the article. As you are aware this article was a summary of the previous articles (listed below for all interested readers):

http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/26540-the-five-thieves.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/26592-kaam-lust.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/26655-krodh-anger-or-rage.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/26733-lobh-greed-avarice.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/26801-moh-attachment.html
http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/27002-hunkaar-ego.html

The following additional Sakhis and anecdotes were also posted to illustrate some of the above:

Humility and lust: http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-gurus/26516-the-greedy-man-and-four-candles.html

Greed: http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-gurus/26516-the-greedy-man-and-four-candles.html

Nimarta (humility) and Bhaana man-nnaa (acceptance of Lord’s will): http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sakhis/26621-bhai-bhikhari-ji.html

You have indeed undergone a lot of effort to reflect on several issues, as we all should. The articles are supposed to provoke thought and also invoke some soul searching, and in addition help the writer to review the issues more objectively. Your response has certainly succeeded in all these for which I am grateful.

Whenever I have the time, i.e. not traveling to and from London or otherwise engaged, I fervently look forward to reading your posts, and I have noticed that on serious issues you do look at things carefully and do not rush to the keyboard without thought, as many do on such forums. For this reason I take your responses very seriously. In your current response you have raised many interesting issues which may require further threads and articles to do full justice, and again I must thank you for presenting this opportunity.

I particularly liked you ‘arms crossed’ phrase – it is so true. Many talk of love and yet succeed more in generating hatred. Some talk of open-mindedness and yet refuse to accommodate others’ views. I have come across many opinions expressed on this forum where members express views which have a ‘read between the lines message’ - “dare if you challenge me”. Your humility in this respect is a breath of fresh air. I often desist from entering into arguments on such forums as on many occasions these turn out to be counter-productive. In my experience the stronger some people defend their line of argument the more likely they are to change their stance in the later years of their lives. You, I find are different in this respect and appreciate that we (myself most of all) are all fallible.

I will reflect on some of the points you have mentioned, although some of them are covered in the more detailed version of the five negative traits – e.g. your comments on Lobh (greed) are covered in the earlier article - but I did like most of “your thinking aloud” comments.

For the time being I better get back to more mundane things of justifying my title of ’bread earner’.

Bhul chuk khima

Rajinder Singh ‘Arshi’

 

[Satyaban]

Namaste
The other day I made a thorough response to this topic but screwed up and lost it. Rather put out I delayed making another attempt.

Tejwant ji said: "For me, Evil is the word used and practiced in the dogmatic religions such as the Semitic ones and also in the Hinduism and in its mythology a lot."

I agree with much of what of has said except for that which pertains to "Hinduism" of course. In my faith as I believe Sikhs I think that there is no such thing as evil or "good and bad."

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami says the following on the differing views on evil:
Sloka
"For monistic theists, the world of maya is Shiva's perfect creation, containing each thing and its opposite. For pluralistic theists, the world is tarnished with evil: thus maya could not be the creation of a perfect God. Aum.

Bhasya
Pluralistic Siddhantins hold that the world of maya is intrinsically evil and imperfect, for it is clearly full of sorrow, injustice, disease and death. Pluralists contend that if God had created maya- the material of the world- or soul surely He would have made them flawless, and there would be no evil, for imperfection cannot arise out of Perfection. Monistic Siddhantins hold that when viewed from higher consciousness, this world is seen as it truly is-Perfect. The is no intrinsic evil. God Shiva has created the principle of opposites, which are the means for the soul's maturation-beauty. deformity, light and darkness, love and hate, joy and sorrow. All is God Shiva Himself, in Him and of Him. A perfect cosmos has issued forth from a perfect Creator. The Tirumantiram says, "All manifestations of nature are His grace. All animate and inanimate are His pure grace. As darkness, as light, the Lord's grace pervades." Aum Namah Shivaya.

Scripture:
The seer sees not death, nor sickness, nor any distress.
The seer sees only the All, obtains the All entirely.
Yajur Veda

More to come.

Peace
Satyaban

 

[spnadmin]

Satyaban ji

If you have to take you time posting the rest it works for me. I have a lot to chew on in these few paragraphs. In truth -- it is difficult for me to internalize, and requires time to think and grasp.

I thank you for posting some very interesting and probably core ideas from two panths within the Hindu religion.

 

[Tejwant Singh]

Satayban ji,

Guru Fateh.

You write:

Tejwant ji said: "For me, Evil is the word used and practiced in the dogmatic religions such as the Semitic ones and also in the Hinduism and in its mythology a lot."

I agree with much of what of has said except for that which pertains to "Hinduism" of course. In my faith as I believe Sikhs I think that there is no such thing as evil or "good and bad."

I beg to differ with you on that because Hindu religion/mythology and its history proves you wrong. If you read Ramayana,Bhagvat Geeta and the episode of Dropti with the Pandavs, Prahalad etc. etc. are nothing but indication of evil no matter which Hindu preacher tries to distort the facts.

Caste system itself is the biggest evil on which Hinduism is based.

It is even worse than any kind of apartheid and Sikhi is also its victim because some,sadly to say, still are not able to shed their caste mentality, which goes against the teachings of SGGS, our ONLY GURU.

As mentioned several times before and whenever I mention this, it seems you feel offended for some reasons, but let me mention it again because I will keep on doing it, that is,- Knowledge is the best way to eradicate the cobwebs of ignorance. So, once again, I urge you to study about your own religion from all aspects so you should come to know what you are seeking in the real sense. As usual, the ball is in your court and I do not mean any offence, just a suggestion because we are all seekers in real sense no matter what hue, creed or faith we belong to.

Regards

Tejwant Singh

 

[arshi]

Tejwant Singh Ji

Gurfateh

I aplogise for my tardiness in responding to some of the interesting issues raised in your post on 4 Nov 2009. It has not been for lack of interest, but largely due to pressures of work and time, which is normal for me at this time of the year. However, in this post I will only deal with one of the several points referred to in your post – I am squeezing in these comments in between work schedules so please do forgive if any of the rushed comments are not to your liking. As I previously observed, your reflections and comments are far reaching and could form the basis of erudite dossiers and essays – this is meant as a compliment.

The five negative/ill traits are referred to by several names by authors and translators. e.g. thieves, stalwarts, passions, vices etc.

I appreciate that ‘evil’ may appear to be a bit strong in some contexts and ‘vices’ or ‘moral evils’, perhaps, would have been a better term to use. I will definitely give more thought as to which version to use on my website – I will be quite happy to change the title after I have taken in further comments from readers.

When I used the term it was meant to convey its universal meaning with no religious connotations, as quite rightly, observed by you. The general meaning of the term is “an act or tendency that is morally wrong, bad, immoral, or wicked”. There are many synonyms, as no doubt you are aware,e.g. depravity, viciousness, wickedness etc. However, sometimes we ought to use a stronger term to simply contrast bad with righteousness, good with evil.

An incessant obsession with the five negative forces will lead to acts of the type mentioned above. Hunger for power in human beings ignites a negative passion to unleash cruelty and misery on fellow beings.

The term ‘evil’, in my article, is used as a broad term to reflect the above and to illustrate what many would “see as subjectively harmful deeds that are labeled as such to steer moral support” (wikipedia.org).

It was certainly not meant as an active force to personify an entity such as satan. Meaning of evil linked to connotations with other faiths would only complicate the interpretation of the five negative traits and steer us away from the simple but real message conveyed by our Gurus – i.e. to subdue these negative forces and nurture them into positive moral values or in your own words “with the help of SGGS use these stumbling blocks and turn them into stepping stones by lassoing these five thieves and talking control of them”.

You are absolutely right, evil was committed on the Sikhs in 1947 and 1984 as it was committed by: Hitler on the Jews, Idi Amin on the Ugandan Asians and Saddam Hussain on the Kurds. In all cases it is the human obsession with power and egoistic designs which lead them to commit such atrocities which can only be seen as ‘evil’. Other names can be given to such acts of cruelty but they do not projectsame shock effect as ‘evil’ – and we need to wake up this world from its slumber of apathy and inaction. History has unfortunately witnessed, for long, the manifestation of evil (cruelty, pain and misery heaped on the innocent public) through the egoistic pursuits of ambitious and unscrupulous ‘devils in human form’. Whilst kaam, krodh, lobh, moh and hunkaar may not necessarily be evil in themselves, a depraved obsession with them does result in tragic events.

I do intend to return, when time permits, on other interesting issues highlighted by your post, but for the time being:

Kind regards

Rajinder Singh ‘Arshi’

 

[Satyaban]

Tejwant ji

I am not avoiding your post but taking time to make what I have to say concisely and correct.

The pleasure of such discourses is it causes me more study.

 

[Tejwant Singh]

Tejwant ji

I am not avoiding your post but taking time to make what I have to say concisely and correct.

The pleasure of such discourses is it causes me more study.

Satayban ji,

Guru Fateh.

Please take your time. There is no hurry. I only seek responses from people whom I ask direct questions to. The rest is just simple interaction with different views from different people.The wonderful thing about interaction is that it breeds introspection and that is the ultimate goal of every seeker.

Regards

Tejwant Singh