Dharam Khand

The first stage is the dharam khand. “The earth exists for dharma to be practised.” The word dharam has been employed in the sense of duty. Duty is usually performed either out of a sense of social responsibility or through moral awareness. Guru Nanak links this sense of duty to man’s consciousness of divine justice. This is the stage in which a sense of inquisitiveness is aroused in the mind of the devotee who is now no longer a casual onlooker of the world around but can perceive the divine purpose behind the creation of this planet of ours, the earth, which is set in the cosmic cradle of time and space and is sustained by the vital elements. Man has been placed in this world to respond to the Creator’s purpose. In His court, he will be judged according to his moral response. This is the khand where our soul goes to after death. This is where Dharam Rai is stationed. Almost every religion explains this khand in some form or the other. Dharam Rai has an army of millions jammdoots who control the whole Dharam Khand. There are countless seasons, waters, fires, fires and low-lands like Pataal. Amidst such wide variety of things is the land of Dharam Khand. There countless kind of creatures reside. The length of ones stay in Dharam Khand is determined by the strength of the desires and attachments one possesses. Once the futility of holding on to earthly desires dawns, either through self experience or through the guidance of an enlightened soul one moves on into what some call Summerland but Guru Nanak Dev Ji calls Gian Khand.