The short answer
Gurbani speaks of the soul moving through a cycle of birth and death, shaped by one's actions within the Divine Order (Hukam). Human life is seen as a precious opportunity to break that cycle by remembering the Divine and living truthfully, so that the soul merges with its Source — a state called mukti. The emphasis is on living well now rather than on speculating about heaven or hell, and Sikhs read some of this imagery in different ways.
In detail
Gurbani describes life as part of a larger movement: beings are born, die and are born again, a cycle often called aavan jaan — coming and going. What we sow, we reap; our actions shape where the journey leads. Yet all of this happens within Hukam, the Divine Order, and Gurbani repeatedly says that it is the Divine's grace (nadar), not our cleverness alone, that finally frees us.
In this picture, human life is especially valuable. Gurbani describes the human birth as a rare chance to know the Divine. The goal is not an endless round of better and worse births, but mukti — liberation, the soul merging with its Source like a drop returning to the ocean. Many traditional commentaries also stress jivan mukti: being free while still alive, living without ego and fear, in constant remembrance.
Heaven and hell appear in Gurbani mostly in the language of the time. Traditional readings generally hold that the Gurus did not make reward or punishment the aim of spiritual life; the aim is love of the Divine. Sikhs differ in how literally they take rebirth: many understand it as a real passage of the soul through lives, while some read parts of the imagery as describing states of mind within this life. Both readings share the same practical call — live truthfully today.
This outlook shapes how Sikhs face death. The Sikh Rehat Maryada guides that at a death, Sikhs should recite Gurbani and say Waheguru rather than wail, and that the body is normally cremated, with Kirtan Sohila and Ardas. A reading of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is often held afterwards. Grief is natural and human; Gurbani offers comfort by reminding us that death is part of the Divine Order and not the end of the soul's relationship with its Source.
What Gurbani says
ਆਪੇ ਬੀਜਿ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਖਾਹੁ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਆਵਹੁ ਜਾਹੁ ॥੨੦॥
Aape beej aape hee khaahu. Naanak hukamee aavahu jaahu.
You yourself sow, and you yourself eat what grows. Within the Divine order, we come and we go.
ਤੂੰ ਆਪ ਬੀਜਦਾ ਹੈਂ, ਅਤੇ ਜੋ ਉੱਗਦਾ ਹੈ ਉਹ ਆਪ ਹੀ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹੈਂ। ਰੱਬੀ ਹੁਕਮ ਅੰਦਰ ਅਸੀਂ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਾਂ।
We reap what we sow, and within the Divine Order we come and go — the core of the Sikh view of the cycle of life.
ਜਿਨੀ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਇਆ ਗਏ ਮਸਕਤਿ ਘਾਲਿ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਤੇ ਮੁਖ ਉਜਲੇ ਕੇਤੀ ਛੁਟੀ ਨਾਲਿ ॥੧॥
Jinee naam dhiaaiaa gae masakat ghaal. Naanak te mukh ujale ketee chhuttee naal.
Those who contemplated the Naam, and gave their effort to it, depart with their work complete. Their faces shine — and many others are freed along with them.
ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਨਾਮ ਨੂੰ ਧਿਆਇਆ ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਲਈ ਮਿਹਨਤ ਕੀਤੀ, ਉਹ ਆਪਣਾ ਕੰਮ ਪੂਰਾ ਕਰਕੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਚਿਹਰੇ ਚਮਕਦੇ ਹਨ — ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਹੋਰ ਬਹੁਤ ਸਾਰੇ ਵੀ ਮੁਕਤ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ।
Those who remember the Naam depart with their life's work complete.
ਮਰਣੁ ਨ ਮੰਦਾ ਲੋਕਾ ਆਖੀਐ ਜੇ ਮਰਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਐਸਾ ਕੋਇ ॥
Maran na mandaa lokaa aakheeai je mar jaanai aisaa koe.
O people, do not call death bad — if only one knew how truly to die.
ਹੇ ਲੋਕੋ, ਮੌਤ ਨੂੰ ਮਾੜਾ ਨਾ ਆਖੋ — ਜੇ ਕੋਈ ਜਾਣ ਲਵੇ ਕਿ ਸੱਚਮੁੱਚ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਮਰਨਾ ਹੈ।
Guru Nanak Dev Ji asks us not to call death bad, if only we knew how truly to die.
What it means
Together these lines give a clear shape to Sikh belief. Our actions matter, because we reap what we sow; yet everything, including our coming and going, happens within the Divine Order. Death is not something to fear or curse. What matters is whether we used this life to remember the Divine and do good — those who did so leave with their work complete, and their example lifts others too.
Living it today
- Treat each day as part of a precious opportunity: include some remembrance, some honest work and some sharing.
- Reflect honestly each evening on one action you would do differently, without despair.
- When someone dies, join in reading or listening to Gurbani rather than only speaking about the loss.
- Talk about death calmly with family; it helps everyone face it with faith rather than fear.
- If you are grieving deeply, lean on Sangat and seek professional support too — faith and good care go together.
A real-life example
Grandad's last lesson
When Manpreet's grandad was very ill, she asked him whether he was scared. He said, 'I have done my best to remember Waheguru and to be honest. The rest is Hukam.' After he passed, the family held a Sahaj Path at home. Manpreet noticed that the Gurbani being read spoke again and again about coming and going, and about the soul returning to its Source. She still cried, and her mum said that was right and natural. But she also began to think less about where grandad had gone and more about how she wanted to live, so that her own life's work would be complete one day.
Common misunderstandings
Sikhs aim to reach heaven and avoid hell.
Gurbani uses the language of heaven and hell, but the aim it sets is love of the Divine and union with the Source, not a reward.
Karma means everything is fixed and nothing can change.
Actions have consequences, but Gurbani places everything within the Divine Order and speaks of grace, effort and remembrance as able to transform a life.
All Sikhs understand rebirth in exactly the same way.
Sikhs broadly share the teaching of the cycle of birth and death, but some read parts of it more literally and others more as states of mind. Both emphasise living truthfully now.
Sources
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 4
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 8
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 579
- Sikh Rehat Maryada, SGPC — funeral ceremonies