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Is Keeping Hair/ Turban Essential As A Sikh?


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Quote from the Granth Sahib, which seems to say hair is NOT important??

"kabeer preeti ik siau keey aan dubhidhaa jaai; bhaavey laambe kes karu bhaavey gharari mundaai"

(Kabir, when you are in love with the One God, duality and alienation depart.

You may have long hair, or you may shave your head bald.)

-- KABIR Source: Adi Granth, p. 1365

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It is said in Bani and written in Fatehgarh Sahib Gurudwara

"Sawat Surat Rab dee | Bhanee bayemaan ||"

That the pure form is as given by God only a dishonest person destroys it.

Kesh Guru dee moher han.

Sant jee said, even if you shave sheep they cry but you are still human?

Kesh are an essential part of sikh, Even for your Hindu husband, if you read ramayan, hairs are very important, if a person cuts his hairs he was thrown out of society , Just read Ramayan you have surely done it.

Regards.

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We should read Gurbani with an open mind, reading everything rather than picking out bits which are in line with our thinking only. This involves believing in something bigger than ourselves - lowering the ego which plagues too many of us.

p.s. Adi Granth is now called Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, it has been since Guru Gobind Singh Ji declared it so (quite a long time ago).

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

ਕਬੀਰ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਇਕ ਸਿਉ ਕੀਏ ਆਨ ਦੁਬਿਧਾ ਜਾਇ ॥

kabeer pareet ik si-o kee-ay aan dubiDhaa jaa-ay

Kabeer, when you are in love with the One Lord, duality and alienation depart.

ਭਾਵੈ ਲਾਂਬੇ ਕੇਸ ਕਰੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਘਰਰਿ ਮੁਡਾਇ ॥੨੫॥

bhaavai laaNbay kays kar bhaavai gharar mudaa-ay

You may have long hair, or you may shave your head bald.

“preet” = love

“si-o” = with

“aan” = other

“dubidha” = duality

“jaa-ay” = depart

“lanbhay” = long

“gharar” = close

“muda-ey” = shave

Today I realized it’s been over 5 years since the two World Trade Centre towers collapsed in America. Time passes incredibly and scarily quickly. Imagine if we’d remembered Maharaj for every second in those 5 years.

Anyway :D .

In this Salok Bhagat Kabeer Ji shows us that by loving Maharaj, life becomes a lot simpler, easier and rather nice in general. We all wander around in the world, worried about losing “our” property, family, friends or health etc. Then there are the everyday worries such as work deadlines, university interviews or family problems which can seem to engulf us. These can make us constantly doubt Maharaj. We pray to Him, but do we really think He will answer? If we do, then why are we surprised when apparently miraculous things happen?

Everything is Satguru Ji’s Hukam. If we remembered this more often, we’d remember Maharaj more often, and by engraving Gurbani into our hearts can gradually begin to give Maharaj something back to repay Him for everything He does for us – from keeping us warm at night, to giving us headaches. (It’s easier to remember Maharaj in hard times than it is when we’re hyper.) Technically we could say the worries Satguru Ji gives us are also gifts because they make us think of Him. The key is to thank Maharaj instead of wondering why He’s doing the things He’s doing. If He wants us to know, He’ll tell us.

There are those who think that salvation is attained only by living life as a saadhu or yogi. There are also many sections of yogis or sidhs, some of whom don’t comb their hair at all and let it become tangled for the rest of their lives. There are others who decide to shave their heads. These people probably have their reasons, but Maharaj clearly tells us it doesn’t matter about outward appearances if there are no thoughts of Satguru Ji inside.

Bhagat Kabeer Ji is not telling us that we should neglect our external Rehit and focus ONLY on our insides. To fall in love with Maharaj means we *completely* submit to Him, which includes the rehit laid down by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The point Bhagat Ji is making is that by trying outward rituals and doing weird stuff to our bodies, mental freedom is not going to suddenly rescue us from the world. There’s no point pretending to be a Sant or Gursikh on the outside without realising the importance of Naam Simran.

sadhu.jpg

Significance of External Rehit

~l~

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

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If Maharaj declared keeping hair essential for those who take Amrit, then it is essential.

As to wearing the turban, I have come to this conclusion:

If we have kirpan always at our side, and always wearing kacherai, it looks to me like you need to be ready to fight at a moment's notice. Which means you need your turban/dastaar on too. Enemy comes in the middle of the night, not gonna wait for you to tie your turban just as much as he isn't gonna wait for you to get your kirpan or get dressed. Always stay ready!

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Quote from the Granth Sahib, which seems to say hair is NOT important??

"kabeer preeti ik siau keey aan dubhidhaa jaai; bhaavey laambe kes karu bhaavey gharari mundaai"

(Kabir, when you are in love with the One God, duality and alienation depart.

You may have long hair, or you may shave your head bald.)

-- KABIR Source: Adi Granth, p. 1365

...and therein lies in part the power, beauty, and necessity of keeping ones hair as a Sikh,... to naturally and simply preserve and embody the magnificence of the spirit of Kabir.

I never hear anyone ask if it's necessary to wear clothing, suggesting it is mindless social convention or based in faith and laws wholly unsupported by evidence.

We would not have any serious time for a person who questioned wearing suits and ties in summer weather to the office. Can anyone tell me who gave their heads for suits and ties? It's a fair skinned convention, therefore it's synonymous with valid?

As a Sikh, the answer is clear and all others are respected.

Non-Sikhs obviously will question. To satisfy their curiosity, they need to ponder on the map where Europe is not in the centre, where it asks whether cutting hair and not keeping a turban essential to a human?

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This is a brilliant quote and shows the open nature of Gurbani which I think many Amritdhari Sikhs forget. Heres are some more quotes:

"You lay the foundation and build the walls. But in the end, three and a half cubits will be your measured space. ||2|| You make your hair beautiful, and wear a stylish turban on your head. But in the end, this body shall be reduced to a pile of ashes. ||3|| " page 659

"With your mouth you utter falsehood, and you adorn yourself with precious decorations; you recite the three lines of the Gayatri three times a day. Around your neck is a rosary, and on your forehead is a sacred mark; upon your head is a turban, and you wear two loin cloths. If you knew the nature of God, you would know that all of these beliefs and rituals are in vain. Says Nanak, meditate with deep faith; without the True Guru, no one finds the Way. ||2|| " page 470

So I think to summaise it is definately necessary for a baptised Sikh to wear the 5Ks and keep bana however these are mot there to limit the perswon in any way and are there to serve us or serve other people (e.g. if you need you use your Kirpan to defend somneone)

However these are only necessary for a Khalsa Sikh and not necessary for a Gurmukh Sikh. A Khalsa Sikh should also be Gurmukh. The word Gurmukh is used in Gurbani to describe all God intoxicated souls from whatever religious tradition they are from. For example Patanjali is described as a Gurmukh. Sindi's who follow Sikhi but not the Khalsa tradition are Gurmukhs...Christians wwho remain humble and keep God in their heart are Gurmukhs...etc etc

If we do presentations in Gurdwaras do not focus on the Turban or the hair or the 5K's. Focus on Meditation, Naam and the Sikh lifestyle etc. People will generally take the form of the Guru when they start realising the power of Naam and Sikh meditation.

One final thing is that even the 5K's can become Maya for a Sikh or a source of attachment. Always remember that they are there to serve you but will not go with you in the end. Only the NAAM will take you across the ocean of life and nothing else. The Khalsa lifestyle is one which gives you the discipline to receive this Naam. But you must not fall into the trp of thinking that 5K's will carry you across the world ocean. Only your Naam simran will do this.

www.ProjectNaad.com

Quote from the Granth Sahib, which seems to say hair is NOT important??

"kabeer preeti ik siau keey aan dubhidhaa jaai; bhaavey laambe kes karu bhaavey gharari mundaai"

(Kabir, when you are in love with the One God, duality and alienation depart.

You may have long hair, or you may shave your head bald.)

-- KABIR Source: Adi Granth, p. 1365

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  • 11 months later...

gurfateh!!

first id like to say, when we were born into a sikh family it was already decided for us by god that we are to follow guru maharaj. jot of 10 gurus. meaning, amrit shuk and follow sikhi.

we must do rorm rorm simran. -----pick up energy and vibrations through out spiritual antena and then we start with rorm rorm simran.(basikly means saying waheguru with every hair)

in this tuk of bhagat kabir is highlighting some things.

1. when you are in love with god, engrosed in god and all that, all duality passes. good-bad, light-dark, cut-uncut hair and so forth. there is onlyone thing left......>>ONE<< .

2. another way of looking at this can be asit was said above, that, "show" counts for "ZERO" in sikhi. (pakhandi and such things..)

3. whatever you do, DONT FORGET THE BIGGER PICTURE. why we are here.

it also says that >> washing yourself fizikly doesent wash your sins or doesent stop bad things (karam) happening to you.. (muslims say if you stay in a state of cleminess then goasts wont come to you. and this says that washing yourelf, like a bath, doesent stop these things. NAAM does) so does this mean that we will now say we are going to stop having a bath???!!!! no!

bhul chuk maaf..

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  • 1 year later...

WAHEGURUJIKAKHALSAWAHEGURUJIKEFATEH.

Bhagat Kabeer Ji also says in his Bani that "why shave your head when it is the mind that needs shaving".

With regards to your quotation from Kabeer Ji's Bani , my understanding is that Bhagat Ji is saying that a person cuts their hair according to the will of their mind and as such does not follow the voice of their aatma(soul).

Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji states in Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth that a Sikh must maintain unshorn Kesh. Guru Ji also informs us that once upon a time all religions observed kesh but after punishments the kesh were cut and hence became a trend.

The tract in the above Granth is fairly lengthy , I will attempt to post a full detailed description here.

I will also mention here that when one reads Gurbani regularly and scrutinises the teachings , then one will not want to cut their hair and partake in narcotics and taking of lives etc.

Please also see the complete katha of SGGS :www.gurbaniupdesh.org

R

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Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh Jeo,

I think Kabeer Jee is advising people that there is only one way to be one with Akal Purakh which will eventually destroy all false myths and fears in our hearts. One sees sadhus with long hair or sanyaasis with bald hair who have renounced worldly lifestyle in the hope of succeeding in spiritual goals. Since appearences are part of maya, one may start to believe that maybe these are the ways with which Akal Purakh can be realised. Kabeer Jee is warning us to be careful of the false belief that renounciation of gharist jeevan like that is going to help us in any way. We have to kindle the fire of pure, unadulterated love and a earnest yearning for Akal Purakh in our hearts if we are to dispel all the myths. In regards to people associating this tukk with sikhi saroop, i dont see how that is relevant since sikhi rehat is not karam kaand to obtain anything, it is done out of love for our Guruji, which in turn tells us the real ways of sparking that fire of love in our hearts, like the tukk in question.

Bhull Chukk Maaf,

Gurfateh Jeo

PS: Mokham Singh Veer Jeo, I just realised you have revived a almost two and half years old thread! :D Waheguru!!

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<br />Quote from the Granth Sahib, which seems to say hair is NOT important??<br /><br />"kabeer preeti ik siau keey aan dubhidhaa jaai; bhaavey laambe kes karu bhaavey gharari mundaai" <br /><br /><b>(Kabir, when you are in love with the One God, duality and alienation depart. <br /><br />You may have long hair, or you may shave your head bald.) </b><br /><br /><b>-- KABIR Source: Adi Granth, p. 1365 </b><br />
<br /><br /><br />

This was answer by Bhagat Kabir ji to jogis( who keep their heir uncut and unwashed for life long) and Sanyasis (who always keep their head Ganja.)

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