Tony Ji,
I explain to you why we Sikhs beep Kesh and Beard. The reason and rational of doing it has many two layers – First needed for spirituality and second needed for survival - collectively they form the basis for having Kesh
(i) Needed for spirituality: As I have said in many of my earlier posts, humans are not worldly beings trying to be spiritual, but are spiritual beings lost under the dust of worldly pleasures. When the person is spiritual, she or he lives in harmony with nature. Kesh and Beard is a natural growth. All spiritual and divine humans, we know of, had Kesh and the men among them had Beard too.
The question comes why to ask people to keep Kesh and Beard when they have not yet spiritually evolved. The question is right, it must be answered.
In my earlier posts I have stated that imitation is the first stage of assimilation. It is by this way we learnt to speak our mother’s language and learnt to walk. This tells me that even if try to imitate living in harmony with nature, over a period of time it will become natural to us, a respect for nature will dawn and that will enhance spirituality in us.
Guru Sahib knew all this and hence he asked us to keep Kesh and Beard.
(ii) Need for survival: The new philosophy enunciated by Siri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and implemented by his nine successors was affecting those who were already established in the old system. The new Philosophy was under threat; all its followers were being subject to duress, hurdles being put in the functioning of their institutions. Physical repression of its followers was not yet started. Hence Guru Sahibans resisted it through peaceful means.
This repression over a period of time became physical, Sikhs were not secure. To kill the upcoming Sikhi the Sikhs were being killed. At this stage Guru Gobind Singh devised ways to provide the needed protection. He felt the need to tie all the Sikhs in one bond as number gives strength. He designed the Khalsa Panth with Sikhi as its Philosophy.
This was necessary. Guru Sahib knew that the relations between individuals get governed by etiquettes and ethics and the relations between groups are regulated through politics – individual cannot stand to the pressure of a group; that was the conditions of the Sikhs. By that time Sikhs were a virtual group by themselves but need physical realization. Design of Khalsa Panth was the solution given by Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji to face the challenges posed by the social order.
This Panth and its philosophy (Sikhi) needed to be protected against brutal repression – ‘History of Sikhs’ will tell you all that our earlier generations faced and news will tell you how we are enduring it even today; a feeling of security had to be given to the followers.
How do you do that? When the entity is fixed and not mobile then one puts a fence around it to ward off the intruders (here the ideas from other philosophies). When the entity is mobile you design a uniform for them to be identified as done for armies and teams. Siri Guru Gobind Singh gave his Sikhs a uniform. It was necessary to compensate for the lack of numbers of Sikhs as compared to other prevailing social orders. Guru Sahib knew that if the uniform for Sikh is very conspicuous it has the potential to give a feeling of strength in numbers and thus some what compensate for the lack of numbers. This conspicuous identity will also help Sikhs to identify each other and thus collect to function as a group when under duress.
Kesh, which were kept by all our Guru Sahibans, now became part of all the Sikhs. Thus the Kesh became identity of ‘The Sikhs’
I have Kesh and I advise all the Sikh to do so.
I also want Sikh institutions (please do not depend on SGPC) to fund research and development of ‘Hair Fixer’ which will help the Beard to set in say ten minutes and will not dissolve unless warm water is not used for this purpose. This is to ensure that the Beard remains set and is not affected by perspiration or rain. I know most of the Sikhs who trim their beard initially do not cut their hair. Those who trim do so to reduce time to get ready. It is same reason for which working women in the western world cut their short.
With this I close the post.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
I explain to you why we Sikhs beep Kesh and Beard. The reason and rational of doing it has many two layers – First needed for spirituality and second needed for survival - collectively they form the basis for having Kesh
(i) Needed for spirituality: As I have said in many of my earlier posts, humans are not worldly beings trying to be spiritual, but are spiritual beings lost under the dust of worldly pleasures. When the person is spiritual, she or he lives in harmony with nature. Kesh and Beard is a natural growth. All spiritual and divine humans, we know of, had Kesh and the men among them had Beard too.
The question comes why to ask people to keep Kesh and Beard when they have not yet spiritually evolved. The question is right, it must be answered.
In my earlier posts I have stated that imitation is the first stage of assimilation. It is by this way we learnt to speak our mother’s language and learnt to walk. This tells me that even if try to imitate living in harmony with nature, over a period of time it will become natural to us, a respect for nature will dawn and that will enhance spirituality in us.
Guru Sahib knew all this and hence he asked us to keep Kesh and Beard.
(ii) Need for survival: The new philosophy enunciated by Siri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and implemented by his nine successors was affecting those who were already established in the old system. The new Philosophy was under threat; all its followers were being subject to duress, hurdles being put in the functioning of their institutions. Physical repression of its followers was not yet started. Hence Guru Sahibans resisted it through peaceful means.
This repression over a period of time became physical, Sikhs were not secure. To kill the upcoming Sikhi the Sikhs were being killed. At this stage Guru Gobind Singh devised ways to provide the needed protection. He felt the need to tie all the Sikhs in one bond as number gives strength. He designed the Khalsa Panth with Sikhi as its Philosophy.
This was necessary. Guru Sahib knew that the relations between individuals get governed by etiquettes and ethics and the relations between groups are regulated through politics – individual cannot stand to the pressure of a group; that was the conditions of the Sikhs. By that time Sikhs were a virtual group by themselves but need physical realization. Design of Khalsa Panth was the solution given by Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji to face the challenges posed by the social order.
This Panth and its philosophy (Sikhi) needed to be protected against brutal repression – ‘History of Sikhs’ will tell you all that our earlier generations faced and news will tell you how we are enduring it even today; a feeling of security had to be given to the followers.
How do you do that? When the entity is fixed and not mobile then one puts a fence around it to ward off the intruders (here the ideas from other philosophies). When the entity is mobile you design a uniform for them to be identified as done for armies and teams. Siri Guru Gobind Singh gave his Sikhs a uniform. It was necessary to compensate for the lack of numbers of Sikhs as compared to other prevailing social orders. Guru Sahib knew that if the uniform for Sikh is very conspicuous it has the potential to give a feeling of strength in numbers and thus some what compensate for the lack of numbers. This conspicuous identity will also help Sikhs to identify each other and thus collect to function as a group when under duress.
Kesh, which were kept by all our Guru Sahibans, now became part of all the Sikhs. Thus the Kesh became identity of ‘The Sikhs’
I have Kesh and I advise all the Sikh to do so.
I also want Sikh institutions (please do not depend on SGPC) to fund research and development of ‘Hair Fixer’ which will help the Beard to set in say ten minutes and will not dissolve unless warm water is not used for this purpose. This is to ensure that the Beard remains set and is not affected by perspiration or rain. I know most of the Sikhs who trim their beard initially do not cut their hair. Those who trim do so to reduce time to get ready. It is same reason for which working women in the western world cut their short.
With this I close the post.
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
[/FONT]
