Good Times,Bad Times..
The other day,during a visit to a Gurudwara (Sikhs’ place
of worship) I was simply moved by a poster displayed on a wall.
It said in Punjabi:
Sukh weley shukrana,
Dukh weley ardaas,
Harr weley simran
Here is the meaning of the above quote:
During good times, thank the Lord,
During bad times, offer prayers to the Lord,
At all times, chant His holy name repeatedly.
I asked myself, when was the last time I thanked God for everything in my life? We always think that is easy to thank God during the good times. I am sure, like me, most of us have given God a quick thank you when something good happens in our life. It is not so easy to thank God in difficult times. During these times it is hard to be thankful. We may not even think we have anything to be thankful for.
Today,many of us face situations and problems like unemployment, home loans defaults, economic chaos, political upheaval and many more of such problems. Many of these problems have directly impacted us and other people in significant ways. I feel we need to be thankful to God all the time. In such difficult times you may wonder what you have to be thankful for. Be thankful for your family and friends who have been with you and stood by you in thick and thin.
The other day,during a visit to a Gurudwara (Sikhs’ place
of worship) I was simply moved by a poster displayed on a wall.
It said in Punjabi:
Sukh weley shukrana,
Dukh weley ardaas,
Harr weley simran
Here is the meaning of the above quote:
During good times, thank the Lord,
During bad times, offer prayers to the Lord,
At all times, chant His holy name repeatedly.
I asked myself, when was the last time I thanked God for everything in my life? We always think that is easy to thank God during the good times. I am sure, like me, most of us have given God a quick thank you when something good happens in our life. It is not so easy to thank God in difficult times. During these times it is hard to be thankful. We may not even think we have anything to be thankful for.
Today,many of us face situations and problems like unemployment, home loans defaults, economic chaos, political upheaval and many more of such problems. Many of these problems have directly impacted us and other people in significant ways. I feel we need to be thankful to God all the time. In such difficult times you may wonder what you have to be thankful for. Be thankful for your family and friends who have been with you and stood by you in thick and thin.
What about this beautiful world that God made for us? We need to be thankful for that too. There are countless other things to be thankful for,in each of our lives. We just need to look for them. I am of the firm belief that God has a plan for our lives and we will have good times as well as bad times. Both will ultimately shape us into a person God wants us to be.
Now, I reflected on the aspect : how do we give thanks to God? I remembered what was taught to us in Moral Science in our school days. Prayer is the first thing that comes to my mind.
Now, I reflected on the aspect : how do we give thanks to God? I remembered what was taught to us in Moral Science in our school days. Prayer is the first thing that comes to my mind.
Prayers should always include thanking God for everything. I feel, we should take time and be specific when we thank God. A quick thanks for everything, according to me, does not sound very sincere. If you have ever been on the receiving end of that you will surely understand.
Becoming more thankful will help you build a closer relationship with God. You will develop an attitude of worship that will last throughout the day. The needs of those around you will become more evident. I feel ultimately, you will become more open to telling others about God and what he has done for you.
Before I conclude, I would like to quote Bahadhur Shah Zafar’s sher, which I now recall having once heard from one of my father’s friends, in a get-to-gether, on some occasion, decades ago:
Zafar,aadmi usko naa janiyegaa
Ho vo kitna hii, saab-e-fehm-o-zakaa
Jisse aish mein yaad-e-khuda naa rahii
Jisse teish mein, khof-e-khuda na rahaa
A rough translation of above is as under:
So! Zafar, please don’t consider that person a man,no matter how great his wisdom and wit, who didn’t think of his Lord while he was drowned in pleasures (good times) and who didn’t fear his Lord, while being ablaze with rage (in bad times).
(If some esteemed readers with knowledge of Urdu/Persian can do a better translation, I shall be obliged please.)
Let us ponder on this, while I wish you all good times in the near future.
Before I conclude, I would like to quote Bahadhur Shah Zafar’s sher, which I now recall having once heard from one of my father’s friends, in a get-to-gether, on some occasion, decades ago:
Zafar,aadmi usko naa janiyegaa
Ho vo kitna hii, saab-e-fehm-o-zakaa
Jisse aish mein yaad-e-khuda naa rahii
Jisse teish mein, khof-e-khuda na rahaa
A rough translation of above is as under:
So! Zafar, please don’t consider that person a man,no matter how great his wisdom and wit, who didn’t think of his Lord while he was drowned in pleasures (good times) and who didn’t fear his Lord, while being ablaze with rage (in bad times).
(If some esteemed readers with knowledge of Urdu/Persian can do a better translation, I shall be obliged please.)
Let us ponder on this, while I wish you all good times in the near future.
A reflective, thought-provoking piece. I agree, we must all cultivate an attitude of gratitude in life…towards all, for everything, all the time. Difficult when you are down and out, but not impossible. Good write-up.
Shernaz, Pune
Jan 10, 2011
Even a thief offers a prayer to God that he should have a rich booty that day. What God will do? A patient in death bed prays for his life and an undertaker nearby prayers for a dead body. What God will do then? Whom he will oblige, the patient or the undertaker? Prayers to God should not be for material objects, but for one’s spiritual advancement in life.
Rajaram Ramachandran, Juhu, Mumbai (Camp: Trichy)
Jan 10, 2011
Thank you, Jatiner ji for a very wholesome article, always wishing God to show us the way and thanking Him for that. If one loves god, he will also love all around him. Happy New Year to you and family.
Kumarendra Mallick, Hyderabad
Jan 10, 2011
Dear Shernaz,Rajaramji and Mallick ji,I am thankful to you all for your lovely and varied responses.
J S Broca
new delhi
11/1/11
nice post. thanks.
I am really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Keep up the excellent quality of writing.It is rare to see a great blog like this one…
This reminds me of the school prayer we began the day with, Thank you God for the world so sweet, Thank you God for the food we eat, Thank you for the birds that sing, thank you God for everything. I think theres more to it but this is the gist so begin and end the day with God, no matter what. Our parents taught us to thank God even in bad times as He is the only one who can give us the courage to overcome obstacles. Sometimes we forget and its good people who remind us. Thanks Jitto ji for taking us back to our values of old.