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

You may have long hair, or you may shave your head bald. ||25||

SGGS 1365-15


 

ਲੁੰਜਿਤਮੁੰਜਿਤਮੋਨਿਜਟਾਧਰਅੰਤਿਤਊਮਰਨਾ

lunjith munjith mon jattaadhhar anth thoo maranaa ||1||

The Jains with shaven heads, the silent ones, the beggars with matted hair - in the end, they all shall die. ||1||

~SGGS Ji p. 476


 

ਜਟਾਭਸਮਲੇਪਨਕੀਆਕਹਾਗੁਫਾਮਹਿਬਾਸੁ

jattaa bhasam laepan keeaa kehaa gufaa mehi baas ||

What is the use of wearing matted hair, smearing the body with ashes, and living in a cave?


ਮਨੁਜੀਤੇਜਗੁਜੀਤਿਆਜਾਂਤੇਬਿਖਿਆਤੇਹੋਇਉਦਾਸੁ

man jeethae jag jeethiaa jaan thae bikhiaa thae hoe oudhaas ||2||

Conquering the mind, one conquers the world, and then remains detached from corruption. ||2||

~SGGS Ji p. 1103


Gurbani talks about people with extreme religious tapas, those with shaven heads and those with long matted hairs. And it says they will all die. But this is not the description of the Khalsa Gursikh, who maintains uncut hairs which are clean and neatly combed, who is a householder raising a family and not a renunciate practicing bodily punishments. So the pauri is describing austerities, or extreme spiritual practices and saying you will not get liberation this way.


Veer Ji, "everyone says Guru Gobind Singh Ji told us to wear kakkars? Then you started wearing them?" You see, something big is missing from your post here. Something HUGE.

What about...the Panj Piare? I'm assuming, that you received amrit. Did the Panj Piare not tell you to wear Panj Kakkars? And do you not accept that Panj Piare are the sargun saroop of Guru Ji Himself? You say, you read Dhan Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. But this contradicts... what everyone said. You quickly learned that not one single external symbol or uniform or ritual gives salvation. And you learned this from Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji?

Veer Ji, the Panj Piare are Guru Ji. And looking at the SGPC Rehit Maryada it says:


There is nothing in the amrit Sinchaar ceremony that says you wear Panj Kakkars to have salvation. In fact, it says clearly, the Panj are required to instruct you fully that you are not to think of anyone except the 10 Gurus and anything except their gospel as your savior. And if you are in fact amritdhari, you know that all questions about Khalsa Rehit you take directly to the Panj. Now, maybe I'm just missing something big. Maybe you just put on Panj Kakkars because you thought this could give you salvation. Please make clear Veer Ji. Because just to wear kakkars does not make you amritdhari. And just to chuk amrit does not make you a Gursikh. It does not make you a perfect person or even holy. To become amritdhari gives you a path to walk, a spiritual sadhana, a practice. You practice at becoming a good person. Guru Ji is your salvation. It's by living daily in obedience to Guru Ji's hukam that you get somewhere spiritually, by discipline and faithfulness to Guru, not by wearing a uniform.


 

ਬੰਕੇਬਾਲਪਾਗਸਿਰਿਡੇਰੀ

bankae baal paag sir ddaeree ||

You make your hair beautiful, and wear a stylish turban on your head.


ਇਹੁਤਨੁਹੋਇਗੋਭਸਮਕੀਢੇਰੀ

eihu than hoeigo bhasam kee dtaeree ||3||

But in the end, this body shall be reduced to a pile of ashes. ||3||


ਊਚੇਮੰਦਰਸੁੰਦਰਨਾਰੀ

oochae mandhar sundhar naaree ||

Your palaces are lofty, and your brides are beautiful.


ਰਾਮਨਾਮਬਿਨੁਬਾਜੀਹਾਰੀ

raam naam bin baajee haaree ||4||

But without the Lord's Name, you shall lose the game entirely. ||4||

~SGGS Ji p. 659


ਨਾਨਕਤੇਸੋਹਾਗਣੀਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਗੁਰਮੁਖਿਪਰਗਟੁਹੋਇ੧੯

naanak thae sohaaganee jinhaa guramukh paragatt hoe ||19||

O Nanak, the Gurmukhs are the happy, virtuous soul-brides; the Lord is revealed to them. ||19||


ਜਉਤਉਪ੍ਰੇਮਖੇਲਣਕਾਚਾਉ

jo tho praem khaelan kaa chaao ||

If you desire to play this game of love with Me,


ਸਿਰੁਧਰਿਤਲੀਗਲੀਮੇਰੀਆਉ

sir dhhar thalee galee maeree aao ||

then step onto My Path with your head in hand.


ਇਤੁਮਾਰਗਿਪੈਰੁਧਰੀਜੈ

eith maarag pair dhhareejai ||

When you place your feet on this Path,


ਸਿਰੁਦੀਜੈਕਾਣਿਨਕੀਜੈ੨੦

sir dheejai kaan n keejai ||20||

give Me your head, and do not pay any attention to public opinion. ||20||

~SGGS Ji p. 1412


 

Something else big is missing from the picture. If you want to play this game of love, and place your feet on this path...step onto my path with your head in your hand. How can anyone really do that? How can you sacrifice yourself? From where comes such courage, such devotion, such power? Everyone wants it. Where do you get it? Where do you get what it takes to stand up and be counted?


Chanting the Lord's Name is what will give you the commitment to walk on the difficult path and surrender no less than everything; to put a noose around your own panj dhoots, even to embrace shaheedi. When you become amritdhari, the Panj Piare are supposed to instruct you in Vahiguru Gurmantara. You receive the Naam from Panj Piaras because you can only receive the Naam from Guru Ji's own saroop. You receive a technique that is a very powerful way to transform your mind.


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