Singh Ricky
- June 1, 2026
Very important question to know if you are happy but more important is to know what happiness is.
For a long time, I believed happiness came from buying new phones, gadgets, going on holidays, hanging out with friends discussing politics, games and feeling nostalgic about old times, trying new restaurants, enjoying expensive spirits, owning branded clothes, an awesome car, big house, kids studying in private schools and anything that will make me look best in the outside world.
I mistook happiness with comfort, of course these things made my life more comfortable but not truly happy. Moreover, I was “searching” for happiness rather “be happy”.
Then where is this happiness if not in outside world.
The answer is too simple to understand – it’s here in NOW and INSIDE as per Gurbani (Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji). Gurbani is a manual, how to live life and whole focus is on Mann (Mind) rather outside world. Gurbani’s has teachings from Guru’s and Bhagat’s – people with very high level of consciousness who taught us “how to live in a state of absolute bliss” doesn’t matter what were the outwards scenarios in their lives.
Gurbani wants us to understand Guru’s teaching every day and live by them, so all Godly virtues are part of our life.
But we have lot of misconceptions related to Gurbani and Sikhi/religious practices:
- Gurbani only has only one interpretation.
- Gurbani will magically remove all my worries and only happiness in life.
- Amrit Vela (early morning) is the only best time for meditation.
- Only people who learnt religion can sing or read scriptures properly.
- Need to look certain way and wear special attire or things to understand Gurbani.
- Can’t eat certain things.
- We need a mediator to pass our prayers to God and if my name is mentioned during prayer, God will listen quickly.
- We can pay to someone to do Paath and it will help our lives or happiness will come.
- God is present only in religious places, which make us behave different in those places.
- Visiting and taking bath in certain places will bring prosperity and remove my sins.
- Donations will bring more money in my life.
- Paath or religious scriptures should be done in certain direction.
- Outer cleanliness of us and place is very important.
These were certain rituals people followed to keep them in discipline so they can become self-aware and practice religion. Overtime we have become more focused on these outside rituals rather Guru’s teaching. Gurbani strongly stop us from all these rituals, as they won’t bring you closer to or find God.
It’s our mind and society make us think we are away from God and need to do these outside rituals to connect to God. Gurbani guides us that “turn you mind inwards and let your intellect follow consciousness (God Inside) to find internal BLISS and keep you away from vices”.
Easier said than done, why is that, because our mind has learned to fear things which haven’t happened yet or can’t forget the past pains like:
Expectations & Feeling Unappreciated
- I’ve done so much for others, yet they don’t value me
- They didn’t ask for my opinion or include me
- Relatives or friends didn’t share their achievements or news
Fear & Worry About Loved Ones
- What if something happens to my partner or children?
- What if kids go out alone and face problems
- Family doesn’t understand modern mental stress
Control & Frustration
- Kids or partner don’t follow what I say
- Colleagues behave unfairly, and I feel overburdened
Comparison & Jealousy
- Others go on holidays—why can’t we?
- Social media makes other families look happier
- People seem to show off their lives
Overthinking & Holding onto the Past
- Replaying old incidents when someone’s name comes up
- Thinking others owe me because of what I’ve done
Judgement & Negativity
- Judging people based on beliefs (religious or political)
- Seeing negativity in the world or in media
Ego & Self-Image
- “I know better” or “I can do better”
- Believing I don’t need to learn more
- Thinking no one is better than me
False Beliefs About Life & Happiness
- Thinking Guru’s teachings don’t apply today
- Believing money and power solve everything
There are endless scenarios our mind goes through every day, if I had to corelate this to something these days will be REELS. There are special algorithms social media platforms use which detects your preferences, our mind does the same, once you start following certain thoughts, mind will pull out similar scenarios/files and keep you in same loop forever.
“Mind’s biggest suffering is fear of desires not to be fulfilled”.
Gurbani can help us by following Guru’s teachings to live life in certain way, where focus is at now rather in past or future. I feel when you truly sing or read Bani’s with awareness then your mind brings focus to now, that’s why we feel so good after spirituality session.
Some key Gurbani teachings helping me:
Contentment: Mind focuses on what you have right now rather what you lost, or you want. Not just say thank you but count for all the blessings you have in life, biggest one would be “you are alive”.
We are so busy earning a living that we forget to enjoy what we have:
- Awesomely engineered body with a mind which has power to think, create and feel. This body gave us biggest opportunities we can become what we want, earn a living.
- Breath that flows effortlessly without our control and a heart that beats on its own.
- Water which is majority of our body and is essential for everything we do in life.
- Natural resources like Sun and Earth without which we even won’t have our awesome phones, cars and anything which we think make us outwards.
- Beauty of creations – oceans, mountains, colours and creatures.
- Food in fridge, gas to cook
- Family and friends to share our sorrows and happiness.
- Home to live, cars to move around.
- Enough to go on holidays, entertain us at home.
Kindness: Learn to be kind to yourself as mentioned above, our mind goes through all these temptations and emotions. Gurbani teaches to clean the clutter inside this mind so have mercy on yourself first before looking outwards.
- Observe your thoughts as rightly said in book “Power of now”, spend time reflecting within – why am I thinking this way. Do these thoughts align with Guru’s teaching?
- Is this fear or pain because of vices (Desire, Anger, Greed, Attachment or Ego).
- Focus on your improvement rather than PROVING yourself to outer world.
- Try to UNLEARN the behaviours, will help you progress in life.
We are already pure inside; our mind, thoughts, upbringing, society and surroundings that place layers of negativity over us. Guru’s guidance and implementing the teachings remove these layers and shows the purity within which is for ourselves and people around us.
Truthful: be truthful to yourself and people around you, Truth is eternal, permanent and truth doesn’t change, but lies we need to keep inventing.
- We must stay true to our Guru’s teachings – you can’t choose to follow only what feels easy or what aligns with societal norms.
- Truth helps us achieve another virtue of FEARLESS as it helps us live authentically and with compassion.
- Truth guides us through everlasting desires as we learn to rationalise, do I really need or is it what mind wants.
Grace: I have been blessed with all these wonderful gifts from LIFE, Gurbani teaches us never to forget it’s given to us and nothing we own. It’s like hiring a car on holidays, which we look after well and return at the end of holidays.
- Living in grace helps us respect what we got, especially the body we have been given – exercise, eating right and stay away from anything which damages our body or mind.
- Look for positivity with these eyes and mind.
- Listen to others without judgement.
That’s what Dharam is – righteousness, doing the right things with what we have been blessed with. We often take life for granted and fail to appreciate its blessings. When things don’t go our way, whether mentally or physically – we tend to blame life or even God for it.
When chick is in the egg, its whole world is that egg. To experience the universe and its expanse, chick must break the shell from inside. Once chick will see the universe it won’t like to go back in same shell. This is what we need to do, mind must break its own prison. Once mind is free from past pains and future fears it will love to live, this is how Gurbani would like us to LIVE. Reality breaks the equation of expectation, happiness and sadness, what’s left is NOW.
Gurus have broken the mind’s prison and lived in sync with highest consciousness. To make our life easier they have given us the tools to achieve this in writing, Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Now the question is:
- Do you have time to look inwards and find vices in yourself?
- Are you victim of Expectation minus Reality = Happiness/Sadness?
- Would you try to be King of your mind or let mind control you?
- Do you think living truthfully is the step closer to meeting God/consciousness?
- Are you able to watch your thoughts?
- How often you ignore your consciousness (Zameer) from doing right thing?
- How should you be listening to Gurbani now- just repeating or understanding?
- Is blaming others for your own worries a right thing?
