dastaar...

[Jash]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

i would like to know why do we have to wear a dastaar? i know itz like a crown to us n all...but why? what is the significance behind it?

why is it compulsory for every sikh? and what is the history behind a dastaar?

Thank you very much in advance for ur time..

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

[guruji's_student]

HEYYY JI !

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fathe!

im not an expert but as far as i know a dastar can show that ure sikh and also u wear thsi 2 protect ure kesh, 1 of the 5 k's it is important 2 protect ur kesh so the guru ji insits u wear a dastar etc: to take gud care of ur kesh

hope this helped

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fathe x :wub:

[Son of Guru Gobind Singh Ji]

This has been discussed on this forum a lot of times. Just do a search for 'keski' or 'dastar'

[Japnaam Singh]

SOGGS, this issue actually hasn't been discussed much at all.

Her question isn't a kakaar-based question or anything like that, she just wants to know the historical and gurmat-based justifications of wearing a dastaar.

Her question is different.

[Son of Guru Gobind Singh Ji]

I know that.. and dastar just as a general requirement has been discussed here, even though they have mostly led to kakkar based discussions, but here are some links anyway:

http://forums.waheguroo.com/index.ppa?act=...astar,and,women

http://forums.waheguroo.com/index.ppa?act=...astar,and,women

http://forums.waheguroo.com/index.ppa?act=...astar,and,women

just three links from a quick search

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

Daas had the opportunity to do some research for this when he was called upon to do a presentation at a Gurudwara Sahib on this very topic (dragged to the stage kicking and screaming...I a bit shy ). I shall post the presentation below. It is long, so please bear with it. Hopefully, it will explain some of the historical tradition of the Kesh and the Dastaar in Sikhism and the world's history. Forgive any mistakes as Daas's own ignorance. If there are any questions, please feel free to post them so they may be addressed.

_________________________________________________________________

For the benefit of the Sikh youth present here today, I will present my views in English about what the turban and the hair mean to the Sikhs and to the world as a whole.

The turban and uncut hair were officially made a mandatory article of the Sikh faith by Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji. Before the assembly of Bisakhi 1699, he sent word to his Sikhs to come to the Bisakhi assembly with hair uncut. After having tested each of the five Panj Pyare, he then dressed them each in his own image. He gave them each the Panj Kakkars, namely the Kesh, Kachhera, Kirpan, Kara, and Kanga. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Ji also stated that Sikhs should comb their hair twice a day and then tie a turban. These were his instructions to the Sikhs of then, now and those of the future.

To this day, Sikhs can be easily be identified by their turban and uncut hair. But uncut hair and the turban were not articles that Sikhs

alone kept. Before the arrival of the so-called Modern Age and the Divine Creation of Sikhism, many references point to other religions and cultures that kept their hair. References in ancient Indian texts and paintings state that many Indians maintained long uncut hair. To an Indian of that time, having their hair cut was worse than death itself. But keeping uncut hair was not restricted to Indians only. The Old Testament, the sacred text of the Jews, also instructs the Jews never to cut their hair. The result of cutting one’s hair is told in the Old Testament by the story of Sampson, whose strength was connected to his long uncut hair. When his hair was cut, he lost all of his famed strength and only regained it after his hair grew back. Christianity also has a forgotten tradition of maintaining uncut hair. Jesus of Nazareth (who is commonly referred to as Jesus Christ) also never cut his hair in the tradition of the people of his city. The city of Nazareth where Jesus was from was also home to the Nazarenes, who, after committing themselves to Almighty God, would never again cut their hair. Also, the priests and clergy of the Christian faith, up until World War I, would keep their hair uncut to maintain their likeness to Jesus. From these examples, it becomes clear that uncut hair has been connected to a spiritual life for some time before Sikhism.

Similarly, the turban is not a brand new invention of the Sikhs. Rather, it has been present for thousands of years before Sikhism. It has already been stated that the Jews were told to keep long and uncut hair. In addition to this, any person who was ordained a priest of the Jewish faith was to also wear a turban as part of his regular dress. Also, the Kings of that time period wore turbans as a crown, a sign of their royal authority. Even the so-called common man of that time wore a turban, which represented the person’s dignity, self-respect and authority. To take the turban off another person was considered a very high insult, almost an u

nforgivable offense. The Babylonians and the Egyptians, two of the oldest civilizations in the world, are also described in ancient texts as wearing a turban as part of their dress.

The Prophet Muhammad of Islam told of the importance of the turban to the Muslims. In the Hadiths, which are the sayings of the Prophet, the Prophet Muhammad states that the turban is the dress of a religious person and that Muslims would never be unsuccessful as long as they wore a turban. In India, the turban was part of the everyday dress of Indians until recent times. Similar to the Jews, it symbolized dignity, self-respect and authority. The Rajputs were commonly seen wearing turbans as a symbol of their royal authority.

From the facts above, it becomes clear that the turban and uncut hair is not only a characteristic of Sikhism, but rather it is a universal sign of spiritual and temporal authority, what is referred to as Miri-Piri in Sikhism. The Guru Granth Sahib clearly states that the Almighty God is present within each and every hair (Bhagat Kabeer Ji, Raag Gauree, 344). Guru Gobind Singh Sahib makes it clear in his Commandments that a Sikh should not remain without a turban and made uncut hair a requirement to become a Sikh during Baisakhi 1699.

Knowledge of the turban’s representation of authority, dignity and self-respect was the reason behind why the Mughals banned the wearing of the turban in India. The Mughals passed a law forbidding the wearing of the turban, riding of horses and keeping of weapons to suppress the Indian population and dissolve any signs of authority and dignity. They knew full well that a people wearing a turban would sooner or later attempt to regain the self-respect, dignity and authority that the turban represented and therefore made a law to neutraize that threat. However, the Gurus fought against such tyranny. The Gurus’ Sikhs wore large turbans, carried weaponry and rode horses, not only to protest against the Mughals and their oppressive laws, but also to proclaim

their fundamental right to freedom, dignity, religion and self-respect. All in India except the Sikhs abandoned their heritage to the turban and uncut hair and became subjugated by the Mughals. However, the Sikh community, which maintained the turban and uncut hair, also maintained its self-respect.

Fighting against what the world called impossible odds, the Sikhs maintained the dignity of not only themselves, but of the entire Indian populous so all could freely practice their religion and maintain their self-respect. Hundreds of thousands of Sikhs died in defense of the turban and the uncut hair. Tales of people like Bhai Taru Singh and many other Sikhs fill the pages of history about Sikhs who gave their lives, but not their uncut hair or their turban. Sikh mothers would rather have seen their infant children killed than to give up their belief in Sikhism. Sikhs repeatedly fought and died to save the honor of the oppressed, all while maintaining their God-given uncut hair and their royal turbans. So brave were their acts that even their enemies could do nothing but sing praises of their bravery and their high spiritual and ethical state of mind.

However, it seems that the Mughals are not dead, at least not in spirit anyways. Some countries, in their ignorance of an individual’s right for dignity and self-respect, have passed oppressive laws banning the turban within their borders. Forgetting the very sacrifices that the Sikhs gave less than a hundred years ago for France, the French government has passed laws to ban the turban within their nation. France, considered a developed country, is passing laws that are very similar to the tyrannical Mughal rulers. And again, the Sikhs have been called upon to defend the religious freedoms of not only themselves, but also of the other communities affected by this cruel law. Again, the Sikhs must combat oppression and subjugation, this time not with swords or guns, but with protests, petitions, education and awareness. And it has been the tu

rban and uncut hair that have been the visible signs of protest. In each demonstration and protest, even more present and impressive than the posters and the slogans, the turban and the uncut hair have been the biggest symbol of resistance against tyranny and oppression of the backward French laws. It is this identity that has been the strength of the Sikhs in the past and the present. It is this identity that has bound the Sikh community together against injustice to this day, and this identity that gave strength to the Sikhs then, now and forever.

Of course, some of those present today might be thinking, “Why go through all of this pain? Why not just take off my turban and cut my hair? That way, I could avoid all the taunting, the humiliation of being made fun of and the possibility that I might be beat up or worse. It is my turban and my uncut hair that is the root of all these problems – why not just get rid of them?” To those who have these doubts, allow me to present you this true incident.

After 9/11, one of the first cases of hate crimes that occurred in Britain was to a Christian who had converted from Sikhism. Even after converting, after removing his turban and cutting his hair, he was still badly beaten up and called bad names. In the U.S., the news was filled with any person with brown skin, not just Sikhs, being taunted, harassed and beaten up. Even members of the Hispanic community, who have brown skin, were not spared from hate crimes. It must be understood that the people who taunt, harass and beat up others are just looking for an excuse. They care little if you are wearing a turban or have uncut hair. Any excuse will do: if you talk differently, if you dress differently, even if you if you look at them wrong. Anyone who thinks that taking their turban off and cutting their hair will completely stop hate crimes from happening is completely wrong.

So the decision is in front of you: You can take off your turban, cut your hair and turn your back on a histor

y full of bravery, heroes, respect and dignity; or you can proudly maintain your uncut hair, tie a beautiful turban and face the world with dignity, respect and authority. The choice is yours.

[S1ngh]

Thanks ms514.. that was one good reading :wub:

btw.. i took the liberty to post that article of yours on sikhpride.com hope u don't mind..

http://www.sikhpride.com/youthreading.htm (The Importance of Hair)

[Jash]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

thank you very much for that wonderful article...and thank you all for sharing.. :wub:

god bless u all...

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

No problem.

[Guest vikramkhalsa]

great article. :TH: