Kara

[Guest Papi]

well that tells me a lot about what kinda peers you have :TH:

[Guest jap naam]

WaheguruJeeKaaKhalsa WaheguruJeeKeeFateh!! _/|\_

Forgive me if i offend, but I was quite taken back that you asked such question because regardless of whether your a mona or amritdhari every sikh has the right to wear a kara. There is no restrictions to who can and cant wear one.

Taken from www.realsikhism.com

These five K's are not merely symbols, they not only represent or identify a Sikh but also have deep meanings. Guru Gobind Singh Ji created a lifestyle within which one does not dwindles and remains focused on the path to attain salvation. A baptised Sikh is to keep all five symbols of faith.

Kesh: Hair is not just a symbol, it is the gift from God. Guru Nanak started the practice of keeping the hair unshorn. The keeping of hair in its natural state is regarded as living in harmony with the will of God, and is a symbol of the Khalsa brotherhood and the Sikh faith. Hair is an integral part of the human body created by God and Sikhism call for its preservation. Sikhs live the way God made humans and never cut their hair. Guru Gobind Singh Ji instructed Sikh to wear Turban in order to protect their hair. Turban has many purposes and one is to keep a Sikh focused in his beliefs.

Kanga: The comb is necessary to keep the hair clean and tidy. A Sikh must comb his hair and tie his turban neatly. The Gurus wore turbans and commanded the Sikhs to wear turbans for the protection of the hair, and promotion of social identity and cohesion. It has thus become an essential part of the Sikh dress.

Kara: The bracelet symbolizes restrain from evil deeds. It is worn on the right wrist and reminds the Sikh of the vows taken by him, that is, he is a servant of the Guru and should not do anything which may bring shame or disgrace. When he looks at the Kara, he is made to think twice before doing anything evil with his hands.

Kirpan: The sword is the emblem of courage and self-defense. It symbolizes dignity and self-reliance, the capacity and readiness to always defend the weak and the oppressed. It helps sustain one's martial spirit and the determination to sacrifice oneself in order to defend truth, oppression and Sikh moral values.The rule is never to do injustice and never let anyone do injustice.

Kachehra: Kachehra symbolizes to live a faithful life. It reminds the Sikh of the need for self-restrain over passions, lust and desires. Apart from its moral significance, it ensures briskness during action and freedom of movement at all times. In todays dark world, filled with lust, if ever a Sikh gets carried away in the moment of lust, the Kachehra refrains one from making wrong moves and reminds him of his duties.

*****REMEMEBR*****

The Five K's are not supposed to foster exclusiveness or superiority. They are meant to keep the Sikhs united in the pursuit of the aims and ideals of the Gurus. They enable them to keep their vows made at the time of baptism. Keeping the symbols of faith keeps one close to being a Sikh and being a Sikh brings one closer to God. Whatever Gurus narrated has a purpose and meaning because it was told to them by God Himself. God has created a religion, a path, a faith which brings one closer to God and helps one to Unite with Him.

In order to meet God, one has life an honest life and meditate on God. Sikh Gurus themselves lived an honest life and showed everyone how it can be done while living a family life.

The Sikh symbols keeps a Sikh focused. It saves a Sikh from bad company and keeps a Sikh close to God. Guru created a livestyle which helps one to be close to God and less likely to detour. Now a days, rare are Sikhs that walk in the path shown by the Guru. Rare are the ones that do not cut their hair and live an honest life like a Sikh suppose to. And to the ones there are Guru Nanak says he is willing to sacrifice himself for them.

WaheguruJeeKaaKhalsa WaheguruJeeKeeFateh!! _/|\_

p.s. Bhul chuck maaf

[Guest jap naam]

^^^ wear what you want, but with an attitude like yours, good luck finding respect :TH:

I already got enough respect from my peers.

It is just I don't want to offend anyone by wearing a kara.

WaheguruJeeKaaKhalsa WaheguruJeeKeeFateh!! _/|\_

Im sorry , im lost but how exactly would you offend someone by wearing a kara. :devil:

Fact is if you love your sikhi and you know what wearing the kara means you should wear it and if someone rare individual comes up to you and asks why you wearing it, you set them straight.They're Sikhs who fight out there everyday to keep their Sikh identity and to wear the five K's.

You know i've been seeing alot of threads on this forum where monas think that they're not getting treated equally, or complain about how they're getting funny looks.Who said life is easier for anyone else. You choose who you want to be, so you should be comfortable and confident in your own skin whether you're an amritdhari or a mona. You are a mona because you chose to be . At the end of the day if your happy with who you are why does it matter what others think. Life is only tough if you make it.

WaheguruJeeKaaKhalsa WaheguruJeeKeeFateh!! _/|\_

[wjkk wjkf]

its weird...i seen unbaptised sikh's including myself, wear all the k's but I never seen one wear a kirpan- is that just cos of the norm, or are their sikhs out there that wear the kirpan without taking amrit? cos i tried doing so, but my mum was like, 'why are u wearing that? your not amritchari!' but i thought , how comes its ok to wear the other k's?

[Pwalla!]

Please don't quote what some group like (edited) have to say on this matter. Their opinions are useless to me. The last time I remember, all the K's were EQUALLY as important. One of the k's isn't more important than other k's.

I actually agree on this point.

[Tanu Kaur]

its weird...i seen unbaptised sikh's including myself, wear all the k's but I never seen one wear a kirpan- is that just cos of the norm, or are their sikhs out there that wear the kirpan without taking amrit? cos i tried doing so, but my mum was like, 'why are u wearing that? your not amritchari!' but i thought , how comes its ok to wear the other k's?

I used to wear a kirpan before taking amrit. In America its a huge panga (esp in public buildings like schools) so in order to make sure I would be comfortable after taking amrit and not doing something stupid like taking it off, I wore my kirpan for a whole year before taking amrit. A lot of us kids did, or do....

Some people get all freaky about it because it's the telltale sign that someone is amritdhari. Yeah, you get the occasioal remark from an auntie ji saying, "Congrats puttar for taking amrit", but just tell them "Not yet woman!" Hahaha....

[Guest Guest]

if u are practising to take amrit then u can wear the k's in preparation

if not, and you are deliberelty going against gurmat, u should not be a hypocrite by wearing the 5k's

ie. why wear the kara if you are not a sikh of guru gobind singh, or if u are not on the way to that path

all 5 k's are the same, which is why the argument of kes being the 5th kakaar does not hold true

[Guest Guest]

My kara keep leaving a stain on my arm an orange one, does this anyone know why this is? :wub:

[Guest baba amarjeet singh]

no

[xkaurx]

is it rusty inside? maybe thats y its leavin the orange mark however thats strange it usually leaves a green one lol, try buying a new one