SAadmin Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 taken from sikh student member in england. The Five Deadly Sins In Sikhism there are 5 sins which are deadly. They are considered deadly because the prevent you from living a truthful life and getting closer to God. It is therefore in our best interest to help get as far away from these sinful states of mind, as possible. The five deadly sins are: • Kam Lust • Krodh Anger • Moh Attachment • Lobh Greed • Hankar Pride Kam –- Lust The biggest problem with lust is that people find it hard to understand. Before we start. let me differentiate between love and lust. There is a thin line between the two. One is a wonderful state of mind that can bring you closer to God and one is a seemingly-wonderful state of mind that will put distance between you and God. Love is great, as a Sikh you are meant to love everybody to the best of your ability this is because God resides in everybody (including animals); so by loving everybody you love God. In the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Maharaaj there is a lot of imagery whereby you are the wife and God is the husband. By total dedication to your partner will you be able to realise him. “If she effaces her ego, then she merges in her spouse.†Rag Suhi Ashtpadian 1st Guru. In Sikhism loving relationships are where you help each other to get closer to God. “O, Friends! Give me your blessing so that I may attain union with my master.†Kirtain Sohila, 1st Guru Verse 3 So do not fear from loving people, it can only bring you benefits. However you must differentiate between love and lust. Lust can take over your mind, and get you into sticky situations. If you ask most rapists why they committed the crime, they will often say “I couldn’t help it, I couldn’t control myself†Make sure that lust does not overcome you and get you into a sinful state which will be hard to get out of. By lust I mean carnal sexual desires . The desires that do not involve loving etc... One must be careful not to step over the line. “Oh lust, thou landest the mortal in hell and makes him wander as many species†Gauri 9th Guru Krodh –- Anger Anger is a sick state of mind. Like lust it can take over your mind and get you into sticky situations. One might ask, “Well what about the 10th Guru and the early Sikhs, look at all those people that they angrily killed on the battlefield..†I tell you this, the true members of the Khalsa killed nobody out of anger only out of love. You see it is fear that leads to anger, the Khalsa fears nobody but God, and therefore they have no anger. One will often have to stand up for oneself in one sense or another. When you do, make sure it is not out of anger, but make sure it is because you have to fight for Justice. If you look at all those martial arts movies, you see the Buddhist kick everybody’s head in. He does not do it with anger, he is completely at peace with everybody (and himself). When he fights he does not fight with anger in his heart, but purity. When you have to fight, ensure God’s name is residing in you and fight with all your heart, do not lose the battle before you start by giving your heart up to anger. Moh –- Attachment Moh is attachment to worldly goods or Mammon (known as Maya in Punjabi). One must be careful not to get caught up in chasing after money or material goods. Sikhism is not like other religions where it asks you to drop everything and become a hermit with no clothes or money. Sikhism encourages a household life (a ‘Ghristi Jivan’). Ultimately everything good that you have got is through God’s grace, enjoy it and be grateful. However you must not get so caught up in living your materialistic lives that you forget the Ultimate Objective – God. Lobh –- Greed Greed, one must not get caught up in gathering worldly things. You must be able to at the snap of a finger, renounce everything and follow the Lord should the call come. Hankar –- Pride This in my opinion is the worst sin of all 5. This is where your ego gets in the way of God. If you are anything like me, then whenever you do something good, you immediately think good of yourself. This essentially is a load of rubbish. The only reason something good has happened to you, is because God had graced you, it is through no cause of your own. If anything bad happens to you it is your fault, then why do we blame God? Until we can realise that there is something greater than us, then we will not be able to advance. Pride or your Ego is the worst of the sins, renounce it you are nothing compared to the Lord. “If a man destroys his ego and by the Guru’s grace receives the Lords love, then he attains Supreme status†Bilaval Mahalla 4th Guru Ashtpada “The Vedas proclaim aloud that the Reverend Lord likes no pride.†Mohalla 3rd Guru Conclusion It all sounds very harsh. According to what I’ve written above, I’m definitely far from God and am going to be condemned to thousands of rebirths. However God is all loving and all forgiving. If you do do something wrong, then ask for his forgiveness and I promise that he will forgive you. Every-day we commit hundreds of sins, God is all loving and will forgive them all. Just repeat his name with all your mind, body and soul. “If your hands, feet are dirty you clean them with water. If your clothes are dirtied with Urine, you use soap. If your mind is filled with sins, colour it with the Name of God.†Japji Sahib 1st Guru. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Javanmard Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Kam, kridh, lobh, moh, ahankar are not sins but obstacles. Using the word "sin" implies a Christian reading of Sikh values. This is extremely misleading. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sukhi Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 thenk u very much lalleshvari. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Javanmard Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 etymology of sin: sin - O.E. synn "wrongdoing, offense, misdeed," from P.Gmc. *sundjo, probably ult. "true" (cf. Goth. sonjis, O.N. sannr "true"), with semantic development via notion of "to be truly the one (who is guilty)," as in O.N. phrase ver?sannr at "be found guilty of." The verb is O.E. syngian "to commit sin." 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Maha_Pavitar Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 A sin would be a particular offense then like, murder, rape, etc so these five are elements we must learn to "take control of" in our life. Rumi talks about these elements in relation to birds (as mentioned in the Koran) very interesting analysis will post it soon. Is it possible for us to understand the essence of these elements in modern-day context as the article has? Relating anger to martial arts movies, etc.. I think the only way to improve upon something is to completely understand it, so much that it becomes your creation (slave) and you the master of it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Javanmard Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 The vikars are more like veils rather than sins. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guv Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 an interesting analogy i've heard is that the panj chor are 5 wild dogs u are tied to by leashes. they lead u this way & that way dragging u against your better judgement. the ideal state is where the dogs are at your heel, responding faithfully to your every beck & call. the article seems to suggest that u should get rid of the panj chor... all that will do is destroy u from the inside as u try to repress them. controlling them, u can use them for good. eg destroying kaam would mean that there would be no children (not to mention a lot of frustrated individuals!), but a person who rules over their kaam (as opposed to being ruled by it) would have a much healthier relationship with their other half. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sukhi Posted June 8, 2004 Report Share Posted June 8, 2004 The vikars are more like veils rather than sins. could u explain how...? (not tryin to be sassy here, i just dun understand how they're similar to veils and not sins...) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Maha_Pavitar Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 Bhen, this was also difficult for me to understand in the beginning..I realised that it is not that we have to eliminate these five vikars (negative characteristics of human nature) but rather minimize them. Maya is the veil of this world, truth helps lift that illusion..Here is a great story from a Jain Website, they also have the same five vikaars as we do. Face To Face With God by Shri Yash Pal Jain Once upon a time, there was a man who developed an intense passion to see God. He went to a monk and said, "O master, I have a longing to meet with God. Will you please help me?" The monk rejoined, "Why not? Come to this spot tomorrow in the morning. We will walk to the top of that mountain. There your wish will be fulfilled." The next day, early in the morning, the man went to the same spot. The monk said, "Good, you have arrived. Let us start. If you don't mind, please carry this backpack." The man was anxious and excited. He gladly picked up the backpack and started to walk toward the peak with the monk. As they climbed the steep hill, the man started feeling tired and the backpack felt heavy. He said to the monk, "O sage, I am tired and I am having trouble walking further." The monk said in a casual manner, "Never mind, there are five stones in the backpack. Discard one of them." The man opened the bundle, removed one of the stones, closed the backpack and started towards the mountain top. A little later, the man again started to feel tired. The peak of the mountain seemed too far. The man again expressed his difficulty. The monk said, "Discard one more stone. That should help." The man did as the monk had suggested and continued to walk. The backpack did become lighter but not for long! Once again the man complained and the monk suggested that he throw out one more stone. The man did as the monk had suggested and both proceeded toward the top of the mountain. Eventually, the fourth and the fifth stones had to be discarded. They reached the peak of the mountain but with an empty backpack. There the man said, "O master, now that we have reached the top, please let me have a face to face meeting with God." The monk became very somber. In a serious tone he said, "My son, you have seen that you could not climb the mountain with the load of five stones. How can you expect to realize God without eliminating the five gigantic rocks of lust (KAAM), anger (KRODH), greed (LOBH), delusion (MOHA) and pride (AHAMKAAR)?" The man's eyes were opened. He learned that minimizing the passions of lust, anger, greed, delusion and pride is the means to achieving godliness. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sukhi Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 thank u Maha_Pavitar (and lalleshvari). it makes more sense to me now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harsharan000 Posted February 13, 2020 Report Share Posted February 13, 2020 On 6/7/2004 at 4:47 PM, SAadmin said: taken from sikh student member in england. The Five Deadly Sins In Sikhism there are 5 sins which are deadly. They are considered deadly because the prevent you from living a truthful life and getting closer to God. It is therefore in our best interest to help get as far away from these sinful states of mind, as possible. The five deadly sins are: • Kam Lust • Krodh Anger • Moh Attachment • Lobh Greed • Hankar Pride Kam –- Lust I do not think at all, that the student from Englando who wrote this article above is correct, for he is mistaking vikars for sins. The vikars are within us, in our minds, but they by themselves are not sins, though we can say, that under their influences, it is most probably to commit sins/ bad karmas. Which is a very different thing. We also have positive attributes within us, just as peace, humility, forgiveness, awareness, etc ..... but unless we do some action under their influences, we do not create good karmas/punya. Ultimately, we have to be good and build a high and a noble character, if we want to walk on the higher path of spirituality. For being good, we attract blessings from Him, which is very much required, if we love Him and want to merge in Him, for then He will arrange things for us in that way, that we may reach His abode for sure. He is the doer of our "melaap" with Him Stay blessed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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