A Fundamental Question?

[ra_mans]

Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh!!!

My Dear Sikh Sangat,

There is a question lurking in my mind for quite some time. Please help this Maha Moorak to find an answer. Actually i have recently arrived in UK and many of my English friends have asked me questions about Sikhi. Like why we keep our hair? Why we wear a turban? Why we carry a kirpan?

These questions have lead to me asking - what is the significance of 5 Kakars to a modern day sikh. Why we should always possess the following 5 kakars

- Kanga

- Kada

- Kesh

- Kachiara

- Kirpan

I think when Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji first declaraed the Khalsa Panth, he wanted to raise his follwers to a level of saints - cum- soliders. Thoes days Sikhs needs to fight battels and stay in jungels for days. And i can imagine how the 5 kakars will be useful to them in those times. But i dont understand their significance today.

Rather every morning before leaving my home for office I make sure that i possess following things

- Key ring

- Wallet

- Comapny ID/Access Card

- Mobile Phone

- Hadkerchief

- Spectacles

- Wrist Watch

I think that if i have these 7 things with me then i can manage in any situation. Is that mean that my Mobile phone is more important to me than kirpan.

Sangant Jee, i am in a confusion. Need your help and please show me the right direction. Help me understand the significance of 5 Kakars in Sikhi.

Anajan Gur ka Sikh jane ke...Bhul Chuk Maaf Karni...

Desparately seeking answers...Guru ke Sikh nu Raha Dikhaojee.....

[gupt_paapi]

fateh veerji

im a moorakh myself since im a hypocrite 4 telling u wot im gna tell u now..

bhai balbir singh, while singing dasam granth bani, sed dat if singhs n singhnis had the 5 shasters allt he time.. the injustice in 1984 would never haf happened. obivously guru gobind singh ji kept the future in mind wen he tld uss 2 keep 5 shasters n same would apply 2 kakaars huna??

n kakaarss, ent they the uniform of sikhi? (shabad starting wid "nishani sikhi panj..."

ofcourse, im a moorakh so maybe i got it all rong plz forgive me

fateh ji

[Guest Akaal108]

fateh veerji

im a moorakh myself since im a hypocrite 4 telling u wot im gna tell u now..

bhai balbir singh, while singing dasam granth bani, sed dat if singhs n singhnis had the 5 shasters  allt he time.. the injustice in 1984 would never haf happened. obivously guru gobind singh ji kept the future in mind wen he tld uss 2 keep 5 shasters n same would apply 2 kakaars huna??

n kakaarss, ent they the uniform of sikhi? (shabad starting wid "nishani sikhi panj..."

ofcourse, im a moorakh so maybe i got it all rong plz forgive me

fateh ji

98742[/snapback]

Nihang bhai balbir singh ji was emphasing on how to use shastar instead of just merely keeping them.

imagine if people knew shastar vidiya skills in the riot... they could have more damage to the culprits in the course of getting shaheediya.

[navdeep kaur]

while ur mobile phone and stuff make u feel complete in a worldly sense...the kakkars are there 2 remind u what is correct in both the world and in the dargah of waheguru...without the kakkars a sikh is incomplete bcz

kes are the symbol of ur sikhi (kes sikhi di mohr han)

kangha is there to help u maintain the cleanliness of ur kes wherever u are

kada is ur wedding ring to akal purakh, the handcuff which protects u from bad deeds and the represebtative of untiy and equality

kirpan is there to keep u and others safe from bodily harm and also to remind u tht sikhs are sant sipahis...who live in the world but never forget waheguru

kashaira is 2 remind u tht a sikh is known for his/her high character...it also eases a persons movement in battle..

hope this helped...but i m known for being a confusing explainer

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

Panj Kakkars...why?

Kes - Throughout the history of spirituality and religion, the Kes have been assigned a very high status. The Jews were told not to cut their hair, Jesus was a Nazerite like Sampson and did not cut his hair. India has a long history with the Brahmins, yogis and Rishis who maintained their hair uncut. Guru Granth Sahib states that within each hair resides the Almighty. The Dastaar/Keski/Turban that adorns this hair has been seen in history as a symbol of both spiritual and worldly power. Kings would use the turban as a crown and priests would also wear a crown to display their authority.

Kachhera - very simple. You got a Kacherra on, you are pretty much good to go without much embarassment (unless you have chicken-legs, in which case... :doh: @ ). Modest, comfortable, and certainly beats the heck out of tidy-whities.

Kanga - Maintain the Kesh and keep it clean. Also reminds the person to keep their mind clean by rooting out the bad thoughts.

Kara - literally defined as that which keeps one disciplined. Whatever action is taken, the Karha reminds the Sikh of their being a disciplined being that must adhere to Gurmat and act in accordance with it.

Kirpan - It serves to remind the Sikh of his worldly duty as a Saint-Soldier. Both functional and symbolic, it can be used to defend the self and the helpless, but also serves to remind the Sikh that a Sikh should not sit idly by when a crime or injustice is committed and if necessary, use arms to prevent or stop such an atrocity.

Of course, this is a moorakh's explanation. Have a listen:

http://www.gursikhijeevan.com/media/video/...jKakaarVol1.wmv

http://www.gursikhijeevan.com/media/video/...jKakaarVol2.wmv

[UntitledSingh]

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

The five Ks given to us by our father Guru Gobind Singh Ji, are still very important.

The Kara, in a wedding ceremony the ring is worn to symbolize the link between husband and wife, in the Amrit ceremony the Kara is the link between Sikh and Guru.

The Kesh, it seems like it is even more important today because everyone just blindly follows the norms in society. Man cuts hair on head but not on body, woman grows hair on head and cuts on body. !???! Our Guru wanted us to keep our body "natural", as God made them.

The Kanga goes with the hair, obviously to keep it neat and clean.

The Kachhera is a reminder to us to always be pure and fight temptations against lust.

The Kirpan, the Sikh ceremonial sword, "Kirpa" means act of kindness or seva and "aan" means honor and respect. The Kirpan reminds us of the countless Singhs and Kaurs who gave up their heads to fight for justice. Even in the darkest times the Khalsa sword (Kirpan) never stopped shinning.

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

[ra_mans]

Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh!!!

Sangat Ji bhaut bahut Dhanvad. I fell like being blessed by Guruji when i was reading your replies. I never realised i have so many Brothers and Sisters out their to help me out. I feel much more confident and educated now. But i still have doubts. Sorry I am Moorakh, so please bear with me.

The Kacahera - It makes perfect sense in why we should use this undergarment. But do we need to still use the traditional ones. Can we use the ones like boxer short or their variants which are a bit different from the traditional.

The Kada - I personally feel it as Guru's support in all the actions i do. So whenever i try to do something wrong, then kada in my right hand reminds me of my obligations to Guruji and the path i am supposed to follow. But correct me if i am wrong, Guruji asked the warrior sikhs to wear heavy big iron bangles. But today most of us are wearing the stainless steel ones with more tredy designs. Is it OK?

The Kanga - This also makes sense as we keep hair and we should have kanga always with us. It is essential part of personal hygine. But what about shampoo, conditioners, hair oil etc. These comodities are also important for our hygine. The point i want to make here is that why only Kanga? What is the significance of having a Kanga so important?

The Kesh - Yes they are Sikhi ki pehchaan. A Sikh is know by sporting hair on the body and wearing a Turban/Dastar. Also there are many spiritual explanations on advantages of keeping hair like preserving energy, link to god, stress busters etc. Why Guruji wanted all the Sikhs to sport full hair on the body? How exactly they help us?

The Kirpan - As I understand that Guruji wanted us to carry a Kirpan to enbale us to protect ourselves and the needy. But present day Kirpans have more symbolic value rather than utilitarian value. If sophisticated pistols were avialble during guruji's time, were we carrying those? And as mentioned in one of the replies Nihang Bhai Balbir Singh emphaised carrying and using 5 shastars during the troubled times of 1984, how useful the symbolic kirpan would have been at that time?

I know some of the questions if have asked are very silly and but they are genuine thoughts, answers to which i believe will strenghten my faith and make me a true son of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib ji...

So please help me out...Shower your blessings on my poor soul...

Anajan Sikh jane ke Bhul Chuk Maaf Karni...Te Sadbudhi layee Ardass karni...

[Singhstah]

Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh!!!

Sangat Ji bhaut bahut Dhanvad.  I fell like being blessed by Guruji when i was reading your replies. I never realised i have so many Brothers and Sisters out their to help me out. I feel much more confident and educated now.  But i still have doubts. Sorry I am Moorakh, so please bear with me.

The Kacahera - It makes perfect sense in why we should use this undergarment. But do we need to still use the traditional ones. Can we use the ones like boxer short or their variants which are a bit different from the traditional.

The Kada - I personally feel it as Guru's support in all the actions i do. So whenever i try to do something wrong, then kada in my right hand reminds me of my obligations to Guruji and the path i am supposed to follow. But correct me if i am wrong, Guruji asked the warrior sikhs to wear heavy big iron bangles. But today most of us are wearing the stainless steel ones with more tredy designs. Is it OK?

The Kanga - This also makes sense as we keep hair and we should have kanga always with us. It is essential part of personal hygine. But what about shampoo, conditioners, hair oil etc.  These comodities are also important for our hygine. The point i want to make here is that why only Kanga? What is the significance of having a Kanga so important?

The Kesh - Yes they are Sikhi ki pehchaan. A Sikh is know by sporting hair on the body and wearing a Turban/Dastar. Also there are many spiritual explanations on advantages of keeping hair like preserving energy, link to god, stress busters etc. Why Guruji wanted all the Sikhs to sport full hair on the body? How exactly they help us?

The Kirpan - As I understand that Guruji wanted us to carry a Kirpan to enbale us to protect ourselves and the needy. But present day Kirpans have more symbolic value rather than utilitarian value. If sophisticated pistols were avialble during guruji's time, were we carrying those? And as mentioned in one of the replies Nihang Bhai Balbir Singh emphaised carrying and using 5 shastars during the troubled times of 1984, how useful the symbolic kirpan would have been at that time?

I know some of the questions if have asked are very silly and but they are genuine thoughts, answers to which i believe will strenghten my faith and make me a true son of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib ji...

So please help me out...Shower your blessings on my poor soul...

Anajan Sikh jane ke Bhul Chuk Maaf Karni...Te Sadbudhi layee Ardass karni...

98841[/snapback]

Traditional kachera is needed, boxers arent allowed.

if we habe kanga on us at all times and we have gotten stuck somewhere else over the whole night we'd still be able to comb our hair, which is the least we can do to look after it and respect it,other than shampooing. Kesh are so high that they vibrate with simran as we are doing it, they are lik aerials for naam vibes.

Im not to sure why we have kirpan as kakar instead of guns, but guroo ji said kirpan so he must have had a good reason to choose it over a gun.

bhull chuk maaf

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

"Can we use the ones like boxer short or their variants which are a bit different from the traditional."

I think you need to see the differences between a Kachera and boxer shorts. Kachera is bound by a "nalaa" - rope to you and is very difficuly to remove. Boxers are usually elastic and come off easily. The leg ends of the Kachera are fitted with enough room to your thigh to fit in comfortably. Boxers have completely open leg sections that are very open. Kachera keep the dignity of a human being while boxers threaten to fall off and display more than what the wearer needs to show. That and those stupid "mail-slots" in te front are really moronic in design.

Why Kanga only - Sikhs used to bathe in ponds and rivers without soap. Kesi ishnan (washing your hair) involved rinsing your head through the water. These shampoos and soaps are somewhat new concept in hygiene. If one washes their hair daily with water alone, they should be fine with the Kanga.

Why Kes - The Almighty gave us hair. We accept generally that the Almighty knows what it is doing way better than us. So who are we to mess with that creation?

Why Kirpan - well, why do members of the Armed Forces still carry a combat knife? It is a low-tech weapon. It does not run out of bulltes nor is it prone to jamming. True, there are other weapons, but the Kirpan is also that reminder for a Sikh to embrace and adopt Shastars as a duty to the faith in protection of the self, the faith and others who cannot defend themselves.

[Bijla Singh]

pRB qum qy lhxw qUM myrw ghxw ]

prabh thum thae lehanaa thoo(n) maeraa gehanaa ||

O God, from You I receive; You are my decoration.

My Guru Ji decorated me with His Five diamonds and then put His own crown on my head. His Kakkars are my jewels. I don't know why people say Sikhs can't wear jewelry. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh