Moh Azima

Moh (Punjabi: ਮੋਹ ''mōha''; Sanskrit: ''muh'': is a word in Punjabi and Sanskrit.

Definition

“to become stupefied, to be bewildered or perplexed, to err, to be mistaken”. It stands in ancient texts for perplexity or confusion and for the cause of confusion, that is, ''avidya'' or ''ajnana'' (ignorance or illusion). It is called ''aaskti'' "आसक्ति" in Hindi, which is considered a root cause for राग द्वेष "all the sorrows in life". In Hindu religious texts it is a cause of ignorance अज्ञान which is due to worldly illusion माया (''maya''). In another context, it stands for “the snare of worldly illusion, infatuation.” Its function is twofold: it dims the discernment of truth, prevents the perception of reality, and it creates an error of judgement or leads to wrong knowledge (''mithya jnana''). Humans believe in an eternal reality of their own existence or ego; they see truth in what is false and seek happiness in what brings suffering. In Punjabi ''moh'' generally means love of and attachment to worldly things and relations.

Sikhism

In Sikh Scripture, the term frequently occurs coupled with ''maya'' (''maia'') as ''maya-moh'' interpreted both as infatuation for or clinging to the illusory world of the senses and as illusion of worldly love and attachment. Sikh interpretation of ''maya'', however, differs from that of classical, ''advaita'' philosophy, which considers the phenomenal world unreal and therefore an illusion caused by human ignorance.

In Sikhism, the visible world is a manifestation of God and is therefore real; yet it is not ''satya'' or true in the sense of immutable and eternal. This world of mass, form and movement woven into the warp and weft of time and space is God’s play created at His pleasure and is as such real and sacred; but it represents only one transient aspect and not Ultimate Reality. ''Maya'' is not an illusion in the sense of a mirage, a factual nullity; it is a delusion which represents transient as permanent and a part as the whole.

Moh for maya, i.e. for this transient world of the senses, hinders the soul’s search for its ultimate goal and is, therefore, one of the Five Evils. It is related, on the one hand, to ''kam'' (desire, love) and ''lobh'' (possessiveness, covetousness) and, on the other, to ''ahankar'' (sense of I, my and mine). That is how ''moh'' has been referred to as a net, ''maiajal''. Guru Nanak advises shedding of ''moh'' as it is the source of all evil and a cause for repeated births and deaths.

The antidote to ''moh'' is non-attachment. This is not easy, for the Gurus preach active participation in life rather than renunciation and escapism. Ultimately, all depends on ''nadar'' or God’s grace. Says Guru Nanak “''nadari kare ta ehu mohu jai''—by (His) grace alone will this ''moh'' be cancelled” . The right remedy is the understanding (''gian'') that the mundane world, its relations and affairs, demanding one’s participation and involvement are transient. Non-attachment thus is not non-action, but an attitude to action characterized by Guru Nanak as that of a ''bajigar'', participant in a sport. The world, says Guru Nanak in a hymn in ''Maru'' measure, “is like a seasonal pastureland where one passeth but a few days. . . Like the bajigar one plays one’s part here and departs”.GG, 1023 An image in ''gurbani'' describing the ideal life is that of the lotus which, although living in water, keeps its head above it without allowing itself to be submerged.

References

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Bibliography

* Sabadarth Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Amritsar, 1969
* Avtar Singh, Ethics of the Sikhs. Patiala, 1970
* Sher Singh, The Philosophy of Sikhism. Lahore, 1944

Further reading

Concepts In Sikhism - Edited by Dr. Surinder Singh Sodhi

Sikh terminology