Gems of Gurbani

Guru Granth Sahib

Tithi  1

According to Hindu calendar system the month is divided into two parts; Shukla and Krishna paksha. End of shukla paksha is full moon and that also is the beginning of Krishna paksha. This division of month is known as lunar days or tith in Punjab. The physical movement of moon on each day may affect moods of people, brighter nights may elevate the mood and darker nights may cause fear in some people. Together with constellation of stars, planets and other heavenly bodies a complexity of beliefs is created that can cause fear of death, good and bad omens, loss of health and property, fear of death of some dear ones and many more superstitions. The root cause of all such maladies is the greed of a particular priest class who like to run their homes without toil or hard work and grab other people’s earnings by spreading superstitious beliefs and fears. They are the one who suggest solutions as well and people rush to the holy places, banks of holy rivers and deras to take advantages of the auspiciousness of certain days and to ward off the evil of others. In Hindu calendar each day of shukla paksh or Krishna paksha is related to certain deities and solution was provided to please that particular deity for removing obstacles. Fasting is one of the greatest tool by which many deities are pleased and offerings are prescribed to complete the gap to ensure income. The age old tactics of creating fear in mind is so obsolete that even the highly educated fail to see the reason behind all superstitions and their futility. The greed of priest class is so deep seated that computer engineers and IT professionals cannot stop taking advantage of certain periods called auspicious where certain rituals are performed to ward off evil or bring home some deities. They take leave from their modern jobs and go to perform rituals to earn money.

Guru Nanak who proposed his theory of Ek Onkar  or One God for all humanity composed his preaching based on these superstitious rituals and lunar days in Raag Bilawal, documented on page 838 of Guru Granth Sahib.