HI,
Yes they clearly are two different entities,
let me explain:
Sikh is derived from the sanskrity word "sikhsa" which literally means pupil or learner. A person on a quest for enlightenment, this could be anyone! Sikh is just a word (a common noun) whereas khalsa is a possessive noun, a name for a particular organization/group.
its like saying:
I am a teacher (Common noun)
I am Sinister (possessive noun), notice the capital!
A sikh is simply a person who develops morality from scripture (be it any scripture).
That is why people say we are sikhs of Guru Nanak: the translation of that is we are learners of the morality which Guru Nanak taught.
Khalsa is a little different, bit more complex, an organization that I still cannot fully comprehend (lol).
sometimes
members of the two groups are veiwed as the same because they share the same geocultural background, somewhere along the line the meanings got all muffled and the two things became intertwined when they clearly are not.
Now you might have heard:
When they say 'Sikh Khalsa Panth' they are actually just referring to Khalsa or "learner of the Khalsa"
Sikh should never be spelt with a capital letter (its absolutely wrong).
The spell check keeps Capslogging the 'S' on sikh. (lol)
hope this helps!
