kulpreetsingh

after doing vichar with some people i've come to believe that all of these things... black magic and astrology ... they have some merit, But like everything else... they are the dust-sweepers and water-carriers in the house of Guru Nanak. Why would we try to use these stupid tricks "thin ko kiaa updaeseeai jin Guru Nanak deo" bhul chuk maaf karnaa jee VaaheguroojeekaakhaalsaaVaaheguroojeekeefatheh!!!

bhainjee.. i'm not sure how to answer this but in my humble opinion Gurmat is that which is sanctioned and taught by your Guru. essentially, our mind is covered with a curtain of maya and the five vices. when we use it to do things, we sometimes act from the perspective of maya and the five vices. however, if we only use the guru's teachings as a reference point for how to act in our life - then we will be embracing and following gurmat. "man kee mat mohay sagal teaagee" it is important to "tyaag" or abandon manmat - and adopt guru's mat Guru's mat is guru's intellect, and in order to have guru's intellect we need to read guru's bani. Guru's bani lets us know what is right and wrong. And since I don't read much, I'm not quite sure what's right and waht's wrong at this time... hehehe... so I'll shut up bhul chuk maaf karnaa jeeo VaaheguroojeekaakhaalsaaVaaheguroojeekeefatheh!!!

as the admin said, truth and religion are above the guru, but the key to the truth through the religion is in the hands of the guru.

Another thing many people have said is that when you die, the last thought you have decides a lot. Bhagat Trilochan jee's shabad "aree baaee gobind naam math beesrai" is the prime example of "anth kaal" and how you can be reborn based on your last thoughts. Some people use this shabad ignorantly as an excuse and they say "well in that case i'll just think of God at my last moment" But as my friend Harmanjot told me a few nights back in a conversation, "when you are in your last moments, your desires become supreme." and it is very true - that the thing you were so attached and accustomed to throughout your life - that will be what you miss when you are near death. That is why it is important to attach ourselves to naam so that we think of only naam at our last moment and our desire is in naam as well. I have a long way to go ... I dont' even sit down for simran anymore... waheguru kirpaa karan ... bhul chuk maaf karnaa jee, VaaheguroojeekaakhaalsaaVaaheguroojeekeefatheh!

Somebody told me that when Guru Hargobind Jee was being kept in jail at Gwalior Fort (i think) the Gursikhs like Bhai Gurdas Jee and others led processions to go upto the jail. They thirsted for darshan of their Guru Sahib and couldn't have darshan because they weren't allowed in the jail, so they sang praises and gurbani outside the jail walls. There are stories about people going house to house in order to wake people up, and a tradition began that they would sing keertan at amrit vela and this was called "parbaat fayree" Some people say Sant Attar Singh jee, some say Sant Kartaar Singh jee, and others name other Gurmukh sajjan as having started this practice. It is well known also that Bhai Randhir Singh used to enjoy doing keertan in a procession when welcoming sangat to a smagam. Slowly slowly the nagar keertans started to become larger and larger. Some places they have become ridiculous displays of political rats trying to make a good image - in some places they are embarrasing displays of cultural miseducation and adulteration of heritage - in some places they are disgusting displays of media exploitation and capitalist consumption but all in all they are chardee kalaa (hehehehe) and most Gursikhs go with the idea of what PunjabiG has mentioned. bhul chuk maaf karnaa jee VaaheguroojeekaakhaalsaaVaaheguroojeekeefatheh!!

I'm not sure what "lakh chauraasee" means to be exact. IN some gurbani shabads, such as by Bhagat Trilochan jee "aree baaee gobind naam math beesrai" - this shabad gives many life forms. Prostitute, ghost, pig, snake, etc. However it has not said "african snake" or "mid-western pig" it has just said the name of the animal. I am guessing that each animal has some gun-augun (virtues and vices) and based on these each is a joon or "life-form" and there are 8.4 million of those. It could be that pigs are all one life form, doesn't matter which type of pig. Lions are all one life form, doesn't matter which types of lion. However maybe when you get to humans this changes. You could be a ghost human, or a prostitute human, etc. Because humans are more definable as far as "gun-avgun." Therefore this could be the method of definition of the 8.4 million life forms. I do not think Guru Sahib was giving a ball-park figure or an uneducated guess, Guru Sahib gave an exact number in Guru Sahib's infinite wisdom. Gurbani is definately limitless and infinite and therefore Gurbani must address the life forms beyond this earth. I don't know if the 8.4 million life forms are from this earth or also include aliens. However Gurbani has said that God has created all creatures, and that there are many planets and many universes and many khands. I think more gurbani research would yeild a more satisfying understanding - but generally I think yes, Gurbani agrees that there is life away from earth and God has created it.