Every religion teaches us to be good and to do good for others. From ancient times, people are trying to perform different practices to get to heaven after they die. People are curious to know about heaven, for which they often try to do good deeds. Some read holy hymns from their scriptures to reach heaven. Everyone desires to reach heaven, but no one is certain about its location or knows how to go there. Guru Ram Das Ji said: “Everyone longs for paradise, liberation, and heaven, but none knows its location or the way to reach there.”
What do the laws of the Earth consider as Sin and righteousness?
Anything that goes against the divine law is considered a Sin. Hurting other people for your pleasure, doing evil deeds, stopping innocent people from practicing their beliefs, and anything that makes people self-centered, which lets them build barriers against God, is considered Sin. Righteousness is the quality of being morally correct and justifiable. By justice, we mean fairness, impartiality, or adherence to truth. As justice is concerned with law, righteousness is concerned with religion. In Sikhism, we hear words like Niyan, Niyaye Sach, Dharm that are used for justice. Justice is referred to as ‘Satt’. ‘Satt’ refers to God’s permanent existence, which is out of the limits of time and space.
What does your scripture consider as Sin and righteousness?
Sin is something that violates moral rule. Sikhism teaches that Sin potentially exists within us all in the form of panj chor (Five thieves). These five thieves act as five major weaknesses in a person as they steal a person’s inherent common sense. The five thieves are wrath (krodh), lust (kama), greed (lobh), ego (ahankara), and attachment (moh). The primary target of people must be to overcome these five weaknesses. Though any deed of commission or omission is opposed to ‘Dharma’, God’s will, religious practice, and moral rules will be considered sins. In Sikhism, people strive to live a life devoted to Shri Waheguru Ji with a positive spirit.
In the Gurumukhi, ‘Dharma’ refers to righteousness, spirituality, and morality. For Sikhs, ‘Dharma’ means the ‘path of righteousness. In Gurbani, the path of righteousness is considered to be honest in your work and doing Bhakti (Simran). These two traits are essential to realize the truth and to be morally justifiable.
Also, ‘Shri Guru Granth Sahib’ lays down the path of righteousness.
- It says that the path of faithful must never be blocked. A trustworthy person must depart with honor and fame. Such people are firmly bound to ‘Dharma’.
- Thoughts and deeds of all persons are recorded. Faithful people are warned that these will be read out in the presence of ‘Lord of Dharma’.
- ‘Dharma’ is administered by God.
What is the difference between the Laws of Heaven and Laws of Earth?
Gurbani says that singing the praise of God, meditation, and the company of holy persons means that it is heaven. Gurbani does not believe in heaven. According to the Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji: “One comes (born) under the law of nature and departs (dies) under the law of nature. From the mind, one originates, and into the mind is absorbed.”
Obedience is the law of heaven that consists of compliance with the divine law. It acts as the cornerstone upon which righteousness rests. In Gurbani, the earth laws state that Air is our Guru, Water is our Father, and Earth is our Mother. Sikhism encourages people to respect nature and live in harmony with the environment.
It is written in Shri Guru Granth Sahib that the only way you can feel closer to God is by serving the beings around you, which stands to be the sole purpose of humans. The supreme purpose of human life lies to reconnect with ‘The Timeless One.’ The only difference that separates Earth’s laws from that of heaven is: ‘A human being must live an active, creative, and practical life of self-control, truthfulness, and purity.’
