My day usually begins at 6AM when the alarm goes off, bzzz bzzz ting tong… bzz bzz ting tong It is annoying and I keep the alarm away on the table so I have to get up to switch it off , else I would go back to sleep. I reach the gym about 6:30 and pass my time, showing off, trying to do some exercises. On the way back I visit Gurudwara Sahib (sikh temple), sit and listen to the baani. These days they have someone explaining the meaning of each line written in the holy Granth sahib (sikh holy book).
I usually sit for 5 -10 minutes listening, trying to get into the good books of God 
, I am not very religious, but today something got my attention, the guy was trying to say that the best way to get into the good books is to do SEVA of god. By that he meant helping in the Langar (dining hall where free food is served to all and Everyone), cleaning, feeding the sangat (people) and various other jobs that we can do in the Gurudwara sahib.
He gave an example that Guru Amar Das Ji before he became Guru was sevadar of Guru Angad Dev ji, He use to get up early morning every day even at the age of 72 walk the distance to Beas (one of the rivers in Punjab), Get water, bring back warm it, for Guru ji’s bath and this according to the person reciting was one of the SEVA Guru Amar das ji did.
But is it really all this that will make God happy, do we seriously think it to be true, I seriously don’t think this alone can do it, what about WHATS in your heart or Mind. Sometimes I try to sit and listen to the path, close my eyes to listen with full concentration, but it only lasts a few seconds before lots of useless thoughts start to come in mind, that’s human nature I think.
So by doing seva at gurudwara sahib, will all my bad deeds be rectified, I don’t think so, if it was, then all you need to do is do a bad deed and then go and do seva. There’s got to be more than that. Will god not be happy if we are a good person, go about doing our work without hurting anyone, helping others if we can ?
It should not be that we have to go to a religious place to do something to get God.
My thoughts are continuously questioned, a person is poor can’t earn money, I give him some money from the goodness of my heart, I have done a good deed helping him, He goes, spends that money on drugs, goes home beats his wife, kids or worse… Who is responsible Him or Me… If he did not have money this would not have happened… I gave… it happened so was it a good deed…
So in the end WHAT IS A GOOD DEED, WHAT IS SEVA… that we could do for our salvation…? I see people each day in morning saying “waheguru waheguru” loudly , then touching every shoe , cleaning them, doing various other things, Then the moment they come out of Gurudwara Sahib one can hear them “F-ing”, smoking, drinking, few of them are WIFE BEATERS, treat their Wife’s so bad, I am not making this up, I know for a FACT.
Come election times in the Gurudwara Sahib the same people come brandishing swords, shouting slogans, the person reciting and speaking himself was one of them, This also I know for a fact, Cause I was there when it happened, Police had to enter the premises with shoes on.
So coming back to the point what should a person do for salvation, to please the almighty, what is SEVA in modern days TODAY. Do the same rituals still hold?
Will me helping in Langar, or cleaning shoes or cleaning the carpets etc constitute as SEVA…
Just a thought……
PS:- This is a repost .
PPS :- The earlier Photo post Love _ _ _ and Dhokha – Love story – err.. maybe. Was adjudged the spicy saturday pick at blogadda .. Thank you so much Arvind Passey and BlogAdda.
Me and My Random Thoughts 
A very good piece. I totally agree.
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Onkar Sir thank you so much
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hmmmmmmmm
religion is just an alibi to fake your identity
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SO very true.. It is used to do os much bad in this world …
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I go to gurudwara and do utensils, clean the carpet and clean the shoes because it makes me humble. Having said that my deeds in real life is what makes me how I am so what I do at gurudwara sahib is not going to change anything if I come back and do what all is dark.
Very thought provoking post. and congrats btw for spicy staurday 🙂
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I am not saying anything against what all do or dont, I am just thinking and IT is good you do that , and especially mentally it gives a lot of sakoon , hana ..
but the question was more to the people who go in and od all this and the moment they come out there mentality changes .. which is wrong..
Thank you jas, Glad you liked it…
and yeah thank you thank you , I do get lucky sometimes it seems he he he he
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Hmmmm guess it is about personal choice & hypocricy. I follow simple principle ofl ive n let live. I won’t question their deeds and they shud stay away from mya ctions. Simple!
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true it is personal choice, and I like that principle .. I shud follow that tooo
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This is a second post I am reading about God. I am like you, not very religious. I just returned from a satsang of Lord Krishna from my massi’s house. They mentioned that if we keep on saying god’s name, in our day to day actitivites, god would be with us. It would be nice to chant his name while doing our daily chores. But what if we would chant his name while doing a wrong deed? Would god come there. A lot of thoughts from our holy books cannot be explained simply by stating, do good deeds or say his name and god is with you. There is ofcourse more to it. Love the people around you, the life you have and yourself. Do something that amkes you feel good, like sponsporing the education of a poor child, or giving a good job to a deserving needy.
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Exactly , well if we chant then god is helping us in the bad deed too, so it shud be OK to do it. and sometimes what makes me laugh is the saying “OH i will win today , because my god is with me “, well what about the opponents god..
jsut be a human being and treat others as you want ot be treated will work out good I think.
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Even though I don’t participate in religious activities and I don’t like the kind of commercial ventures some temples have become, it is the same temples that give food to the poor and give them shelter. So, we are indirectly contributing a bit to the betterment of society, which is fine. I feel that if one does good deeds, they will be in the good books of God irrespective of what one does/does not do at a religious place/holy site.
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some temples , Every temple i will say, its all about money , the bigger the donations the more the fights and all to get that seat in the temple tooo.
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People first have to realize that God is not in the tmeples or churches or gurudwaras, but in each one’s heart. Doing something in your places of worhsip may have a ritual meaning, but ultimately if you are not a good human being at heart, none of these matters
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YESSSSSSSSSssssssss you have said 100% truth , he is not there at all, but in us all .. we try to bribe him to be in the good books by going ot these places hoping our sins will be pardoned..
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Truly a thought provoking thought.
People are under the misconception that all the sins are absolved once they bribe God.
Doing good may be as simple as living and let live!
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yeah misconception there is lot of it , I like that live and let live works fine I guess
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Most of the believers in any religion tend to be too ritualistic in hope of attaining heaven through prayers and offerings. Often we demote God as one (like us) who falls prey to flattery and bribe. I wonder how chanting hymns – ignoring our duties – is going to benefit God or our fellow beings.
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very true .. yeah you are right we try to bribe him tooo ..
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My brother,
I have often asked….what good is a religion if it does not bring peace? Or, how could any man kill another man of the same religion? I believe the Almighty is a God of peace and Love. He will never approve war!! He is all about Love…
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Very true andy sir, I have seen in todays day and age religion doesnot bring happiness or peace , so many are killed in the name of religion.
you are right god never said kill a innocent or do anything where a innocent is killed
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Define a good person? let me give you some examples
1 A is good son, good husband and good father ,he also help others,but he also turns blind eye towards corruption which happens in his office
2) B is something that can’t stand corruption , injustice ,because of this nature he was never a good son, good husband good father,his family is also in financial trouble because of this nature
3)C is rebel , he picked up a gun and became an outlaw.he rob rich and distribute money in poor.
Now whom you describe a good person .I am sure there are more situations when its hard to describe who is good or bad
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Very true what you say , its the same a Terrorist is a terrorist for one but a Martyr or a freedom fighter for the other ..
thank you for that and welcome here 🙂
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Have you heard of mahatams Bikram? Mahatams are little stories at the end of portions/chapters of sacred texts, especially the chapters of the Geeta. You know these little stories they telll you the significance and the power of these chapters…
There was one such story or a particular chapter, as per which, a parrot, which was a sinner in its previous births, got salvation because he was kept in an ashram where the rishis were teaching shlokas to their kids.. and then this parrot was stolen by a thief and he ended up with a prostitute. Now, the parrot remembered teh shlokas, and recited them, so hearing them, the prostitute also was cleansed.
Now… my point even at that tender age was.. I asked my grand mom, if it is that easy, to gain salvation, then people will commit crime (mind you, i do not have any prejudices against prostitutes)… and expect to be salvaged, by ttaking a name or reciting a shloka. Is that now what most people these days do? Those who go to temples and keep all sorts of poojas and all, are the first ones to loot and cheat and hurt others…
In my eyes there is only one religion – humanity.. and the example that you gave, yes.. it is true it could happen in many cases.. I got money thrown at my face by a beggar – ironically, I did not know how much I had given – the beggar thought it was too less.. So, that day, I promised myself.. this is not how one shows kindness.. because the recipients are no more needy….
I would prefer helping someone I know will benefit with my help – cash or kind, rather than give a couple of notes to a healthy beggar on the roads.. because he is capable enough of earning. He chooses not to. And I would not even help maimed people… because most of them are in this profession of begging, and there are gangs that kidnap people and maim them, sometimes kids.. so that they can earn money for them by begging… The more we help them., the more we make their business a success and more kids/people will be maimed to aid this…
And to top it all off, I have been fleeced many a time, because of this weakness.. and people, supposedly my friends.. had gained from me…
End of day, I know God is the supreme power.. and I go by my instincts.. money is not the only way
we can help people.
How can we measure good deeds? When your deed gives you a smile in return.. it is that simple. It could be a hug your best friend is in need of, or some cash that the home help might have asked for..
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Exactly my thoughts , it is a common beleif that if you do wrong and then go to a temple and ask for forgiveness it is all ok.. HOW..
I mean people have poojas and Paaths in there home and yet they do all kinds of bad things,
and humanity is the one religion that even GODS preached yet no one seems to understand that, we do so much damage to fellow humans in the name of religion always. look what is happening in the world now ..
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Do good to others. Be a good human being. Instead of putting money in temple hundis, give a meal to a hungry child, help educate a poor child, be generous and kind to your helpers — these in my opinion are ways of doing seva!
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I completely agree with Rachna…
If you are doing Seva in the temple, Great!!! But that doesn’t mean “Saare paap dhul gaye”…Most important thing is to be a good human being.
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@techie2mom:- I agree too. thats like saying go and kill someone and then come nad have a holy dip in the temple , all is fine then
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YES be a good person , treat others as you want ot be treated .. thats the motto and thats how it shud be …
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Many a times, I have the same questions and doubts like you. Yday i have been to India day celebrations. There was a presentation about Narayanan Krishnan of the Akshaya foundation. When I saw the clippings, I felt in a similar way. We will be ready to do any kind of seva to god, but how many of us can do what Mr.Narayanan can do? Touch the homeless, hug them, bath them, feed them? That includes me too…I can easily write a thin cheque, but I don’t think I have the guts to do what he does.
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EXACTLY my view , I have writen another post so much is spent in putting marble or gold in temples WHY, has god asked us to do it and yet there are hundreds of beggers sitting outside religious places begging for food..
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Religion, choosing between good and bad, and right and wrong is very subjective and is a personal choice… All long as you believe that you are doing the right thing and you can face yourself in the mirror, I think god will be pleased…
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Tan what you say is right , it is difficult for what is good for me , maynot be good for you. and as you say its personal choice.
I agree
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Firstly congratulations!!
Your post, is always thoughts inspiring. I feel we have been told so much about the karma and things since our childhood that we feel bad when we are not able to live upto few expectations. But surprising those so called knowledgable elders do not have answers to most of our questions…
I second PunamJR here…. !
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🙂 THank you so much, It is true they dont have answers when asked a simple questions not jsut elders but many of the religious leaders and religious preachers dont have answers
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i am also not very religious. i hope to believe that if in mylife i dont do or think anything bad for others – do the best that i can for family and friends, help when i am required to and live in peace, i will get by just fine!
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Well religious does not mean going to temples and all, all these places man has built , god never asked us to build such places , I mean so much money is spent in building such places , that money can actually be used for good of human race , no one seems to understand that …
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Congratulations Bikram 🙂
A very thought provoking post. I am a very spiritual person but am not very religious. I too believe in the importance of one’s deeds and thoughts rather the acts of charity.
I’ll quote an example from my personal life.
Bikram, I am sure you are very well aware of all that I went through in my marriage and what kind of a man my ex-husband is. The same man who has been a beast to so many innocent lives actually works as a volunteer for the disabled abroad. He spends four days every month (full time) helping out the needy. Everyone who doesn’t know about his personal life is always full of praises for him and he never seems to stop boasting about what all he does for charity and as a volunteer.
I can’t stop from talking about the hypocrisy of it all. It’s like trying to wash off all your bad deeds and sins by doing charity. But, in my opinion it can’t be simple maths when it comes to bigger issues like salvation.
Thank you for giving me food for thought 🙂
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Thank you mam so much..
I know about it all, and this is also one thing i forgot to mention I have a few who do such work but then they do such bad things in their home or otherwise it is not right..
Well by the grace of god you dont have to worry about it anymore what he does or what people who know think of him now, people as e see are blind most of the time , so many examples we have seen, so many baba’s have been exposed yet they have fan following .
Thank you for reading it all 🙂
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Totally agree. Great post.
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Now I too feel its a good post , you came over and read it 🙂 he he he he Good to see you here after ages now .. Thank you pepper. How is india going on 🙂
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I think we all know in our heart when we are doing something wrong, just listening to that voice and not doing what we know to be wrong is a good deed. Or any action of ours that causes harm to innocent people needs to be questioned (by ourselves). Respecting the law of the land is also one way to do the right thing, fighting to change some not so good laws also.
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IHM indeed true, even those who say they are not concerned they also get sleepless nights and those who think they have not done any wrong they too know in some part of their heart that they are doing wrong.
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It should not be that we have to go to a religious place to do something to get God.
Very well said. That sums it all.
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Rakesh sir, agree with you , going ot a religious place shud not be the only good thing or count as a good thing its the actions that speak more
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Hi Bikram,
Your doubts are universal. All of us feel the same. Some of us brush the doubts aside and carry on with work while some of us pause to reflect like you are doing.
Most of us are not saints, so we cannot always feel that great spiritual link to God. Having said that, the best possible means of feeling one with the Power Above is following the path of devotion for ordinary mortals like me, you and several of our friends out here and there. Now, devotion can be felt not just like that. You need to do something like sing/listen to bhajans, the holy book of our respective religions or do seva.
Of course, the same thing does not apply to all. It differs according to situation, environment, mentality, karma, etc. Seva is just another means to the same goal. Most of us have either a big or a small ego hidden within which surfaces every now and then. By doing seva like you mentioned one learns to do things unconditionally for people we don’t know, for an institution we may not always frequent. Another thing is that we learn to be humble (no work is menial) and secondly, we learn not to expect anything in return. Even to expect that our sins will get washed away by doing seva we cancel our very good act because we are doing something selfishly.
In today’s world, seva is doing something for another (unknown most of the time) unattached, unconditionally. A good deed done by me may not necessarily be regarded or be a good deed for another. It varies. As long as one feels good doing the deed (not egoistic, proud mind you) then, it is a good deed. One must not bother whether one’s act of giving money etc is misused by another. Karma works in mysterious ways. If the karma of the person we are helping is not good whatever help is given to him/her will not work out. And we, the ones helping out are not to blame for that. Do the nice deed, forget the repercussions. That’s not for us to judge.
About people being or acting pious, doing seva and then becoming villains in real lives, all the seva or good deeds that they do get washed away in the bad/selfish/hypocritical lives that they lead. We must see them as examples as to what not to do in life.
Man is too busy caught up in the moh-maaya of life so the only way out to connect with the Lord Above amidst his daily schedule is devotion which CAN definitely be developed. And how much we are improving, we shall definitely know within.
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what you say it true, we are too busy caught in this moh-kmaya ka chakkar, it seems its impossible to come out if it all ..
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Very very similar to my thoughts…rather questions 🙂 I believe good deeds with the right intention matters…rest certain things are not in our hands 🙂 Thanks for this post BM and many congratulations for the spicy sat pick !
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Thank you for reading it mam, spending time here 🙂 and thank you for the wishes
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I agree in toto. One has to be pure in mind and action 🙂
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yeah, but being pure is one of the hardest things to do in todays day and age
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totally agree with you.. have been getting these kind of questions in my mind too. I will think of it more and do a post soon 🙂
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Ok, hope you have the answers and looking forward to ur post ..
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even i have argued with my mom in the same lines, but she fails to understand the sense in it.. well said Bikram..
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Well most dont understand, I hear that a lot what do i know…
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Hi Bikram
I think the idea behind seva is doing it with dedication. It sort of instils humility in the doer. Prayer and uttering Gods names need to emanate from the heart. If that happens, the conscience would prick when one does a bad deed. For those merely uttering it within the gurudwara and then resoryting to wife beating etc later , its of no use I suppose! Thats not what the preachers of the religion intended I guess!
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yeah , but they also say god is in us all, so why cant we ve good to other humans, still so many die in the name of religion, innocent people die.
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Donating money to a temple (or any other religious entity) can hardly be called a ‘good deed’. I used to give money (stopped temporarily due to some financial issues) every month to the school run by my grandfather for mentally challenged kids. This way I KNOW that the money is utilized honestly for the purpose mentioned, and that it goes into the right cause.
But then charity (and goodness of heart begins from home – and self). If you cannot practice what you preach, reflect the goodness in your behaviour then it doesn’t make sense. Like you said, someone who donates to charity and goes home to beat up his wife and kids….well….how does that make him a good person?
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true that is not right , and it doesn’t help because the charities and the temple committees have it all, no wonder there are always fights and what not during elections and everyone wants to be part of the committee.
You do a good thing, well done.
and yes that if you cant practise what you preach thats no good too, if that was true all the pandits and religious leaders would have a beautiful life but they dont , do they
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Good post…Being an atheist, relieves me from the worries of salvation, life after death thoughts and of efforts to try to be in the good books of ‘GOD’ but helping others is a different thing, I would always do whatever possible in my capacity to make something better for the unfortunate ones.
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Thank you and Welcome here.
I guess that is also a good way of looking at it all .. 🙂
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oh so true ..and i believe the best way to please god is being a human everywhere,everytime
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YESssssssssssss be a good human and treat others properly tooo.. God will be happy
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Maybe the sevas are meant to teach us that beneath our skins,we’re all the same,that there is no difference.But unfortunately it could have been reduced to being just a “means” to cleanse our sins by us.Maybe they are being used as erasers to erase our wrongdoings time and over we commit them.And also,reciting the slokas or reading sacred texts can make us be the overall good person and “cleanse” our minds.But then again,we just say it just for the sake of it and insincerely.Sorry if I sound vague 😀
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Yeah it is meant to be that, but who made all those rituals or way , God surly did not make them.
reciting and reading is only good if we understand what they say, otherwise that is also of no use and surly wont cleanse our mind as such,
you dont sound vague at all 🙂
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God is great
it give more t
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indeed he is
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Doing your duty and being honest to it, is one of the forms of worship.singing the praises of the Lord is another form. Unfortunately unless either has our dedication and devotion, they are mere rituals best avoided. I am completely in agreement with not following rituals that mean nothing to us. You read my post, and commented didn’t you?
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hmmm true what you say Mami, thats what i mean singing hymns and doing all that without dedication is of no use .
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very true
keeping others happy with honesty is important
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well if we work honestly then we to can be happy
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I think that if one is good and tries to be helpful
opposed to the alternatives that some individuals
prefer then one can feel happy that even if one is
not so religious, one can still have a true and just
path to follow… Okay I am wittering on now sooo
have a great rest of evening and a wicked time on
your Hump Day 🙂 🙂 lol
Androgoth
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Exactly what you say Andro, Thank you
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Have a great day today Bikram 🙂
Androgoth
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yes I agree with you..a good deed makes God happy ..nothing else “be true to yourself and God is happy”
rest is all fake ..
God loves all humans made by him and he always gives a warning ..before goin wrong..
so be good to others!!
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Harman glad you agree with me .. if we are good humans I think then the job is done
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Of course,one must do a good deed as often as one can.
In my opinion,religion is something so personal that one mustnt discuss it(I am not criticsing this post) in the open because what is inside us comes out only in front of HIM.
The greatest deed one can perform is to respect every religion.
Seva,Daan,Mantras….this is all a way or remembering thje almighty.
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I agree Chowla sir, it is a personal thing.. but so many questions remain unanswered ..
haanji remembering the almighty but almighty says to be good to everyone , we dont do that so how can we expect to be in the good books of almighty 🙂
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a very thoughtful piece for all religion.
In my eyes all religion teach one thing, being good…but humans are only humans, only those who trully believe in God will keep being the same in and outside the religious place.
I myself is not what people would say dedicated muslim who always does every little things hadits and Qoran said…but I do believe in my God more than anything in this world and I will do good as a human I could be.
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Religion always teaches to be good , its us the humans who have translated it in different ways depending on our needs and ways .. otherwise how can one justify the killing on an innocent , no matter what religion is.. yet there are killing all around us ..
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You speak the truth Bik!! It’s sad seeing how wrong people interpret religions
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Thank you so much.. people have torn religion into shreds
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I believe religion is the refuge of scoundrels. Nice post!
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WELL SAID.. and totally TRUE.. i believe in that tooooo
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Couldn’t agree more. Seva, dip in a holy river or a visit to a confessional cannot erase bad deeds.
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true , its not going to help ..
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I think Seva is helping other people out to the best of our abilities,.. I’m particularly keen on providing education to children who can’t afford it, as that’s probably the best thing that can happen to them.
Again, guess its a matter of perspective again 🙂
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a very good thought RAJ, and yes a good way to do something Good
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It can be a part of it. Be a good human being and that consists a long list of tasks. Even God wants us to do that, to be a better human being. BTW, good you go to Gurudwara every day 🙂
And yay on the SSP…:)
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Thank you saru, I hope and wish we all can be good human beings
and yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy 🙂
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In my opinion seva involves doing something physically, whether it is helping in an old age home, feeding the poor, teaching kids or any other way you can be of help to a fellow human being. A lot of us donate money in lieu of time since our day to day responsibilities do not allow for us to spend time doing seva. How that money gets spent cannot be our responsibility. If I donate to a charitable organization and they in turn blow the money on personal stuff instead of using it for the organization then that sin, the responsibility of that misdeed lies with them not me. My intention when giving the money was pure. However if I know that the charity I donate to doesn’t do any good, the people there simply misuse the money and I continue to donate to them then the responsibility becomes mine, IMHO.
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yes true, and doing it without expecting a award or some reward..
I am completely against donating of money because all the charities dont give all of it to whom it is meant for, especially the so called multi million dollar charities they are a business. But I still do hoping that someone will benefit something .. I just wonder how these people who have made it a business sleep at night.
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Notice how every religion has these ‘escape routes’ set in place and how the followers of each religiously ‘utilize’ them to their covenience? Many just do what they want and then try to ‘wash away’ their ‘sins’ by such ‘prescribed’ ways. Has made me wonder.
I liked IHM’s answer.
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oh yes they do, for sure .. The thing is majority of the people know all this but still it continues , i wonder why 🙂
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just this quote,
“we’re on this planet for too short a time. And at the end of the day, what’s more important? Knowing that a few meaningless figures balanced—or knowing that you were the person you wanted to be?”
― Sophie Kinsella
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SO Very trueeeeeeeee , oh yes so true
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heyy..first time on your blog
but guess what my recent post too similar to yours!!
serving at gurudwara may or or may not help but serving outside it surely will. whatever you do, just do it whole heartedly.
and yes seva is never meant to get favours from waheguru in return..do it for your own happiness! 🙂
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Welcome here and thank you for visiting.. do keep coming now 🙂
yeah i did read your post tooo, I dont believe that staying all day in a gurudwara will help when even inside all one talks is about politics or how to win the next election etc etc , I think god wants us to be good humans and treat others as human.. THATS it .. rest all will fall into pieces..
🙂
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In my opinion, seva both in terms of doing good as well as rituals is necessary.
Rituals tend to make you feel closer to God, which in turn gives you a calmness and discipline, which leads to doing good towards others.
Anyway, it is my view. And I still follow the rituals that I can understand and do.
Btw, replied to your comment on my blog.
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yeah they do, but are these rituals not man made, I am sure god never told us to do this or that to get nearer to him..
I shall hop over and read right now 🙂 thanks
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You should read Desperately Seeking Paradise. The author explores the same thoughts. Different religion though.
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Ok, I will have a look .. thank you so much ..
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Hi Bikram. Just by doing some sevas will not give one salvation.First the mind and heart should be pure, the filth must be out and we must be genuine in our thoughts and actions. Now a days, We only have time to fight and do Tu tu mein..mein..If we know the true meaning of love then that is God.
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Very true, and that is the biggest problem how to keep the filth out, because we are human so now and then one of those thoughts do come to mind .. if they did not WE would have been GOD’s ..
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Hi Bikram
things that matter:
1. We do sewa coz it gives us happiness. It gives salvations only if our deeds are not only inside Gods house but everywhere good.
2. If we give money to a poor to help him, we do it out of our good concerns, what he does with that money is his own Karmas.
3. If we pray and believe in God but do bad deeds too, it gets nulified. Many people dont visit temples but never speak ill of anyone, do good deeds, that is what is human.
We can talk a lot but at the end of the day salvation is possible when we are good in and out.
Rest even I am searching for answers.
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Yeah true it is his karma.. But we are helping in that karma which indirectly is wrong , its all very grey ..
that is right if we are good in and out but again the question what is good 🙂 .. as what is good for me – may not be good for others ..
thank you 🙂
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Nice thoughts Bikram! Anything which one does with heart, including his own work is seva
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Rahul sir thank you , so much .. lets hope we all start to work with all our heart ..
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What comes from within, is true. Else everything is contrived. But at least you have the courage to write about it, accept it and deliberate about it. Many of us, just neglect it , for the fear of answers we may get.
PS:your comment on my post got deleted accidently. I apologize. But that was a wonderful comment and I really thank you for IT.
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Thank you so much, for the lovely words. and not to worry about the deletion of the comment , I can always come and Retype it again 🙂 you are always welcome ..
and welcome here too .. do keep visiting
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I take ‘seva’ means look after or provide or maybe have few additional meanings. In my view people have stopped considering other people in their lives. We have got to comfortable in this ‘man made heaven’ where technology has provided us a means of staying connected but in reality has kept us further apart.
I keep saying this, and at times, I may sound like a broken record – but people have forgot the meaning of ‘brother, sister, Mother, Father, Friends’. Today, it’s all about showing a picture of where you were last night, who you were with and what you was doing – in the hope people begin to ‘like’ you or make you a ‘friend’ on social sites, but the reality is more further than the truth.
Worship places have become abandoned, and are only occupied by frail old people. The young generation text their friends as opposed to going to see them.
We need to get involved in the community again, help those physically that need our help and give charity, considering charity is not only about dropping a £1 into a bucket.
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” but people have forgot the meaning of ‘brother, sister, Mother, Father, Friends’” VERY TRUE..
people make relations at drop of their hat…
even the old people who visit the worship places have a hidden agends , have you seen how many problems come when there is some election and who will be the cashier etc etc
and totally agree with the dropping of a coin in the bucket I seldom do that ..
let hope things change
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True Bikram. One cannot attain salvation by just visiting places of worship or by giving alms to the the needy. it is much more that. We are the master of what we do and what we feel. Only we know if what we’ve done is right or wrong, from our perspective. Only if we are true to ourselves, we would be at peace. There is no use pretending that we are a good person in front of others, they might even believe it, but at the end of the day, what matters is that, we cannot pretend to our own self, our conscience would prick us, one day or the other.
And charity is not bad, but thinking that charity is a way to salvation is wrong. As you said, what we give in good intention might end up hurting others. Of course, we cannot keep looking at the entire cycle, but more than helping others with money, helping others in times of distress by just being there for them, listening to them, consoling them and making them happy is the best way to help one.
Lovely post Bikram 🙂
Ashwini
http://ash-aqua-girl.blogspot.in
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I think with no disrespect to anyone it has become a more of a game to visit temples etc for the sake of it ..
YEah I agree with all that you say ,, good thoughts there 🙂 thank you so much.
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well i guess it’s more like “serving to humanity is serving to god”
remove all the selfish interests of doing good to yourself by doing good to others .. just do your part selflessly and one should not worry about the reward you get in the end .. it should be more of a selfless act…..
regards
rahul
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Rahul Paaji, what you say is right ..but its very difficult to get that selfishness out, because we all go to the temple asking for something most of the times ..
and yeah do what you can is the mantra I follow , if i can I will
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