Ethics, not belief, rule the Sikh agenda. Internal spiritual practice and external daily actions must go hand-in-hand. Evil is indistinct from extreme self-centeredness. Tyranny and oppression, far removed from all notions of compassion and empathy, are the most evil acts. Sometimes people suffer because of the self-centered actions of others. Sikh history is full of stories of martyrs for the faith who were steadfast in their opposition to oppression.
In the face of oppression, Sikhs have a wide array of choices in response. Humility in bearing suffering is one response to oppression. This entails the ability to understand suffering as part of the human condition, and the enactment of the divine will.
This also entails a powerlessness on behalf of those who suffer to surmount the oppression. Sikhs make appeals to Kartar for the benefit of all humanity, and the final part of the Sikh daily prayer of supplication ardas requests just that. However, human beings also possess the ability to redress the wrongs of the world, and thus make the world more just and compassionate. In the long term, then, simply bearing others' self-centeredness and cruelty is no way to live. This is especially the case when the divine will bestows the ability for creative responses to suffering.
Standing up for one's rights and those of the oppressed is another choice that also corresponds with Sikh notions of honor pat and justice nian. After the martyrdom of Guru Arjan at the hands of the Mughal state, and amidst a succession battle for the Guru's office, Sikh savant Bhai Gurdas voiced an optimism for the unfolding of divine justice that encapsulates a Sikh response to those "false" powers that oppress others.
These notes were then pooled together. The Sikh holy scripture explicitly discusses sadness and depression dukh using many metaphors see Kalra et al. Here, we elaborate on the phenomenology of depression as understood in modern terminology that has been described in the Guru Granth Sahib. Although many etiological references to depression are included in the scripture, the most important cause mentioned is when one forgets the Lord and implicit in warning that this is the duty to the Lord.
These Verses warn that an individual's mind can be afflicted with terrible diseases like depression dukh ; if one forgets the beloved Lord even for a moment. However, when one remembers God, happiness sukh automatically comes to that person Ketiya dookh bhookh sad maar, ih bhi daat teri daatar can be literally translated to the human being saying to the Lord that there is so much pain, hunger, and abuse in the world, but still these are like gifts of the Lord.
This statement refers to people enduring distress, deprivation, and constant abuse, which have been considered gifts of Lord. This emphasis on dukh being a gift of Lord may be one of the factors why some people today still consider mental illness a curse of Lord and do not seek professional help on time. The text goes to the extent of saying that those who do not take the name of the Lord suffer in agony even after death , while those who sing his praises stay in ecstasy forever sadaa anand Guru Granth Sahib warns the devotee that one may enjoy carnal pleasures with hundreds and thousands of women, and rule the nine continents of the world, but without the true Guru, one will never find peace and mukti and will be reincarnated over and over again p.
Karma is the second etiologically important factor that leads to depression as per Guru Granth Sahib. Bad karmic actions force a person to sit and weep , while good karma makes them resistant to pain dukh , disease rog , and fear bhau ,4 , all of which are references to depression. Various other causative factors for depression have been discussed at various points in the text. Death of a person has been especially given some importance.
The text mentions that death of a loved one may give rise to feelings of worthlessness in the survivor It cites the example of a widow, who after losing her husband may suffer in sadness Other causes that have been listed are taunts fika-bol , hypocrisy pakhand , and loss of wealth dhan p. Drinking of wine results in madness baral that is characterized by sadness, hopelessness niraasa , pollution of the intellect, restlessness, and misery, and can lead to all sorts of diseases rog p.
The text also mentions three factors that are bad for the body and mental peace ; and can cause depression: excessive and unfulfilled sexual desire kaam , anger krodha , and egotism or pride ahankaar p These have been variously referred to as demons paret and wounds of the soul jeeah mei chot Symptoms of depression have been mentioned throughout the text.
Depressed individuals are said to suffer in sadness and agony and have been compared to maggots in manure bista meh keerey Like the deer caught in a trap fahi fathey mirag , they continually cry out in pain Reference to decreased interest in previously pleasurable activities anhedonia has been made on p. It is said that one may not feel interested in his or her work like acting in dramas or singing in theaters, or riding horses or elephants.
There is also a loss of interest in grooming oneself with jewelery and dressing in silk and satin clothes p. Bad karmic actions force a person to sit and weep This reflects the psychomotor slowing and crying seen in depression. There are also references to loss of interest in sexual activity.
The text also mentions that the afflicted mind muhn-bhulo may harbor negative thoughts vikar The negative outlook of the depressive is evident in line 1 of page which states that the sick person perceives everyone else as sick, while to the happy person, everyone else seems happy, and also that for the depressed, colors may appear faded and washed away Weeping rona and loss of sleep neend and appetite have been mentioned as symptoms of sadness seen after the person is separated from the Lord , as is heaviness on the head sir aavey bhaar The tongue is said to lose all tastes in the absence of the name of the Lord ; all tastes saad are perceived as insipid and bland fika ; In the absence of the Lord, one becomes dukhi , so it can be interpreted that loss of taste is mentioned as a symptom of dukh.
The afflicted person may also have poor self-care and may be dressed in filthy cloths mailey veis. A reference to hopelessness as a symptom probably is reflected in the following line: In front of me, I see the jungle burning; behind me, I see green plants sprouting There are references to doubt sansaiy and skepticism bharam , both being part of depression as these never affect the ones who are always in touch with the naam of God The text also illustrates therapeutic issues in depression at an individual level by asserting that peace and tranquility of the mind can restore the mind to its original balanced state or equipoise sanatan.
It gives due importance to diagnosing depression p. The text equates the Lord's name to medicine aukhad ; , mentioning that it can help the depressed person and relieve him of his depression. However, the scripture is not a pharmacopeia, and so not surprisingly there is no mention of the role of medication in the text. At some points, medicines and remedies have been said to be nothing more than ashes It also suggests meditation as having a therapeutic effect, provided it is done with the Lord's name in the mind ; ;; ; Through meditation and listening to the religious scholars and spiritual teachers, devotees are forever in bliss Bhai Vir Singh dwells on the idea and experience of joyfulness.
The root-metaphor of Farid-bani is dukh. Perhaps the two are the obverse and converse sides of the same coin. Baba Farid flourished four centuries before the advent of Sikhism, and Bhai Vir Singh four centuries after it. The journey of eight hundred years is the journey from the idiom of suffering to the idiom of joy, in the interpretation of Sikh spirituality. The joyful state in Bhai Vir Singh is no different from the blissful spiritual state of communion, which in his poetic diction is termed as wasl or milap - i.
Guru Nanak indicates this state of realization and the means to its attainment, in unmistakable terms: One who abandons the sinning self and recognizes the Self. Afflict him neither sorrow, nor alienation, nor anguish.
For, "there is no cure for human suffering outside of man, as suffering is an inner ailment of the spirit," says Puran Singh. The inward strength comes from the regions of inspiration. This is clearly brought out in Guru Tegh Bahadur's hymns that depict the state of equipoise - where joy and suffering are treated alike, where affection and disaffection, honor and dishonor affect not one's equanimity. Such are the marks of a balance being. The Sikh poetic tradition makes eloquent references to the principle of divine Grace operating in the human universe.
Mystery of the divine Ordinance coupled with the mystery of Grace, belong to the realm that none can claim to penetrate. Here, reason only rationalizes, and faith alone serves and guides.
In terms of faith that Gurbani inculcates, Grace of God descends on the elect, picked up by the hidden hand for final communion. The bride may lack winsome qualities, she may not possess merits prized by others, but if she is the recipient of her spouse's love and care, she is the fortunate one. It is she who attains sanjog with her Lord; she is suhagan and she is suchaji. All the others who fail to receive the glance of grace of the spouse, are the luckless ones, waiting for their turn; they suffer in vijog and the epithets of duhagan and kuchaji apply to them.
Says Nanak, when the glance Gracious blesses one, all the miseries of vijog vanish. Joshi, Journal of Religious Studies, Patiala. Chattopadhaya, Quest for Truth. Talib, op. Talib, Perspectives on Sheikh Farid. Jain, Sikh Religion and Philosophy. I 40 Ibid. Strange to think about it this way -- but this essay about death and suffering is also a wonderful explanation of what Sikhism is about. How to find strength. Where to find strength.
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