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Summary of Question:	Reincarnation And Sikhism??
Category:	Gurbani
Date Posted:	Sunday, 1/05/2003 11:41 AM MST

My Dear Brother

Waheguru ji ka khalsa ,Waheguru ji ki fateh.

Does sikhism really believe in a second life after death ?
please throw some light on the shabad
" aree baaii gobind naam mat beesre"

Being a scientist I have always looked at gurbani in a realistic
and scientific manner.

Please enlighten my mind in regard to the above mentioned shabad.
I shall be grateful.
My e mail is [email protected]

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REPLY
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Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. The shabd you asked about is in Gujri Raag, ang 526, by Trilochan. It begins: "Ant kaal jo lachhmee simrai aisee chintaa meh jay marai, sarap jon val val a-utarai. ||1||
"At the very last moment, one who thinks of wealth, and dies in such thoughts, shall be reincarnated over and over again, in the form of serpents. ||1||
"Aree baa-ee gobind naam mat beesrai. rahaa-o. O sister, do not forget the Name of the Lord of the Universe. ||Pause||"
Since this shabd is in SGGS, I cannot say that it is wrong or misleading. If it were then it would not have been included in SGGS by Guru Arjun Dev. The one single truth that stands out in this shabd is the ancient spiritual teaching that one who fixes his/her mind on the Lord at the moment of death shall not be born in physical body again. The entire SGGS is nothing but a treatise on the importance of remembering the Name of God through Naam Simran, so that the mind remembers God at the moment of death, and as a result, one is not forced to be embodied in physical form again and continue the painful rounds of births and deaths.

It is not about science as we on this earth know it, but from Guru's perspective it is actually very scientific. IF one remembers God at the time of death, THEN one is liberated from births and deaths. IF one does not remember God at the time of death or as a regular practice, then one is bound to be born again in some (kind of) physical form. Guru elsewhere in SGGS says that the remembers God and is liberated from births and deaths merges (in spiritual form) in the Bliss that is Waheguru. This is a form of life after death, though not in physical earthly form. Trilochan in this shabd says that life after death in the form of reincarnation will indeed occur to the one who does not remember the One Creator of the creation. So the simple answer to your question is Yes, Sikhi believes in reincarnation/life after death.
Guru ang sang,
-DKK