525.The Man in Blue – The Turban and the 5 Ks

I have earlier written about the notion propagated by the SGPC that you are a Sikh when you have uncut-hair (keshdhari), and that you are not if you have not. This division of Sikhs ignores the Sikh way of life as taught by the Guru Granth Sahib.

Guru Gobind Singh told us to be different, to behave different and to look different, to follow the Sikh way of life and to wear the Khalsa uniform of the turban and the 5 Ks. Amritdhari is a valid category in Sikhí, keshdhari not. Wearing the Khalsa uniform without having Khalsa behaviour is meaningless.

A Sikh is somebody who seriously tries to live according to the teachings of our eternal Guru, a Khalsa is somebody who does the same and has offered her/his head through the amrit ceremony.

I am at the moment reading ‘Guru’s Wisdom’, a book written by Madan Singh of Birmingham (UK). I found some useful information in the book, but when writing about hair he creatively interprets Guru Granth Sahib.

He writes that Sheikh Faríd must have uncut hair as the sheikh writes in a slok on pana 1380 : ‘your hair has turned grey, your beard has turned grey and your moustache has turned grey’. This indeed suggests that Sheikh Faríd had a moustache and a beard, but does not prove that he was ‘keshdhari’.

Guru Arjan writes on pana 749 in rág sohi : ‘I make my hair into a fan’. This is of course a poetic image, and does not prove that Guru had uncut hair. It is very likely that he did, but this verse does not prove it. The same applies to : ‘with my hair I dust the feet of the Guru’ (pana 387, rág ásá, M 5).

In a different vein Guru Arjan writes in rág maru (solhé) on pana 1084 : ‘Let your total awareness be the turban on your head’. I have earlier discussed the full verse and its context in Man in Blue column 468, which can be found on the ‘Maninblue1947’ blog (search 468.).

When you read the sixteen verses of this shabad you will discover that a) the shabad addresses Muslims, not Sikhs and b) that the Guru is not suggesting in this shabad that either Muslims or Sikhs should have uncut hair or wear a dastar.

Madan Singh also thinks that the description of God as ‘He/She with the beautiful hair’ means that Sikhs should have uncut hair. Does describing God as ‘She/He with the dark skin’ mean that Sikhs should have a dark skin ?

The Guru Granth Sahib does not tell us to wear the Guru’s uniform. The Guru Granth Sahib teaches us the ethical values that are the core of the Sikh or the Khalsa way of life.

Guru Gobind Singh fully supported the Gurmat teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib. The Sant-Sipahi is practising seva, selfless service to all. Additionally the Sant-Sipahi follows the discipline of wearing the Guru’s uniform as a sign of her/his commitment to the teachings of our eternal Guru.

412.The Man in Blue – A Sikh is …. (II)

Normative Definition: A Sikh is someone born to Sikh parents. A person may also convert to the Sikh faith, and feel himself/herself a Sikh, if accepted by the Sikh Panth. Such a person must change his or her name by deed poll to Singh or Kaur as the second or last name. If desired such a convert may accept Amrit and join the Khalsa Panth as defined in Sikh Rehat Maryada. Sikh faith does not encourage conversions. It is not a proselytising religion. All religions are equal in Sikh ideology.

In Sikh faith, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, the religion of the father decides the automatic faith of the offspring, but a Sikh mother may decide to bring the child as a Sikh and follow the naming ritual as in Sikh faith. The Sikh Panth will readily accept such a child as a Sikh.
The Sikh Courier, volume 56 No 108, page 11

In the first of the two articles on the above definition of a Sikh I discussed it in more general terms, this time we will have a look at the detail.

Being born of Sikh parents does not make you a Sikh. Not only is this against the Sikh Rehat Maryada (SRM), but it is also not true. Guru Nanak’s father was not a Sikh, Guru Nanak was a Sikh, Guru Nanak sons’ were not Sikhs. In the 2010 UK sons and daughters of real good Sikhs follow a different path, and not so wonderful Sikh parents have very good Sikh children.

I do not think you convert to Sikhí, and Sikhí is not a faith but a dharm, a way of life. How you get accepted by the Panth I do not know.

Only when you want to take amrit (undergo Khande di Pahul) you have to add Singh or Kaur to your name and adopt a first name that starts with the fist letter of the Vaak taken. Changing your name by deed poll is only possible in countries that have adopted the Anglo-Saxon law system.

People are very welcome to join the Sikh Panth, but we do not believe that you go to hell if you do not become a Sikh or do not take Amrit.

The sentence about various religions and fathers makes no sense, and neither does the second part about mothers bringing up children as Sikhs. This sentence is based on South Asian cultural practices, not on Sikhí.

You are not a Sikh because your parents were Sikhs, you are not a Sikh because you come from Panjab, and you are not a Sikh because you have a brown skin. Sikhí is about some very basic beliefs (like One God, One Humanity) and practising Guru’s teachings in your daily life. From the Sikh point of view it makes no difference whether you were inspired to become a Sikh by your father or mother, by other family members, by friends or by the Guru Granth Sahib.

411.The Man in Blue – A Sikh is …. (I)

Normative Definition: A Sikh is someone born to Sikh parents. A person may also convert to the Sikh faith, and feel himself/herself a Sikh, if accepted by the Sikh Panth. Such a person must change his or her name by deed poll to Singh or Kaur as the second or last name. If desired such a convert may accept Amrit and join the Khalsa Panth as defined in Sikh Rehat Maryada. Sikh faith does not encourage conversions. It is not a proselytising religion. All religions are equal in Sikh ideology.

In Sikh faith, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, the religion of the father decides the automatic faith of the offspring, but a Sikh mother may decide to bring the child as a Sikh and follow the naming ritual as in Sikh faith. The Sikh Panth will readily accept such a child as a Sikh.
The Sikh Courier, volume 56 No 108, page 11

Since I became a Sikh I read many articles on the definition of a Sikh. Most people taking part in these discussions agreed that being a Sikh is not about being born into a Sikh family, being a Sikh is about beliefs and behaviour.

The controversy in the discussions was the status of the Khande Di Pahul initiation ceremony, about being a Mona, Keshdhari or Amritdhari. It is clear that the above ‘normative definition’ is wrong, is against gurmat.

The Sikh Guru speaks to all, regardless of caste, creed, race or nationality, the Sikh Guru does not favour people with certain names over those with other names, the Sikh Guru does not favour uncut hair over shaven heads.

The definition of a Sikh in the Rehat Maryada could do with some more clarity but it does have the basics right. It talks about believing in One God, believing in the ten Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib and about believing in the Khande Di Pahul of Guru Gobind Singh.

Anybody is welcome in the Gurdwara, anybody can be a sikh, a student of the Wonderful Bringer of Light into darkness, and you do not have to change your name to be such a sikh.

I heard Guru’s call, and wanted to give my head. I changed my name, I adopted the 5 Ks and the turban and I seriously try to follow Guru’s teachings in my daily life. I am a Khalsa.

I think that we should admit that ‘sikh’ as used by Guru is a general term which applies to all who are true ‘students’ of The One. We could introduce three different terms: sikh, Sikh and Khalsa. The sikh is anybody who follows the general principles laid down in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh is somebody who is working towards undergoing Khande di Pahul, and the Khalsa are those that have undergone Khande di Pahul.