Someone asked Sant Attar Singh ji , 'how come you're a sant?', to which he replied, 'I lived my whole life respecting this beard as if it was Guru Gobind Singh Ji's beard'.
Implying that
• he never showed his face in places where Guru ji wouldn't have taken his own beard.
• he never said anything that Guru ji wouldn't have said through his own beard.
• he never looked in the mirror and thought 'Look how beautiful I am, rather he praised Guru ji for it was Guru ji's beard on his face. -he never dared to take scissors and trim Guru ji's beard
• infact he used his beard to wipe the feet of the saints 'Gur ke Charan, Kes Sang Chaaareh' Just like Guru Ram Das jee appeased Baba Sri Chand ji's anger. Baba Sri Chand was angry that his father Guru Nanak ji never made him the second Guru. He went away from Sikhi and started his own sect. By the time of Guru Ram Das ji, his anger had calmed down. He came into Guru ji's prescence and slightly arrogantly said 'Why do keep such a long beard?' To which Guru Ram Das Ji replied, 'To wipe the feet of Saints' and falling at the feet of this son of his beloved master Guru Nanak ji, Guru Ram Das ji wiped his feet. Baba Sri Chand was on old man by now and was taken aback. He said, 'Now I understand why I didnt get the Guru-Ship, I didnt have humility as you have shown.'
DONT ACT SO WEIRD DONT TRIM YOUR BEARD
11.2 Banee And Bana
My friend said the wise old sant was staying at their house one hot summer a few years ago. My friend was a young energetic teenager, wearing jeans and t-shirt. The Sant came out and watched them for a while, he was a man of little words but many actions.
He called my firend over and requested that he gather his friends together and sit on the grass lawn, cross legged. The Sant sat opposite them, just being humble and holy, connected to Creation and the Creator..at peace whereever he went. The boys wriggled from side to side, the felt the sun beating down on them..it was a long hour..felt mor like a day had passed when the Sant spoke , they waited with baited breath to be released from their agony. The Sant said, 'Kortha Pyjama changa ren-da'(The Guru's uniform wears well...i.e. is comfortable for meditation) then he got up and went back inside.!!!!
Banee and Bana go hand in hand.
Banee is the Guru's Word Bana is the Guru's Uniform.
Banee gives us discipline on the inside Bana gives us discipline on the outside
We are what we think . . . Banee
We are what we wear . . . Bana
11.3 Holy Hair - Kes
A lady at work asked me today, 'Why do you keep your hair?', to which I replied, 'Why do you cut your hair?'. She was stumped and said 'Well I never really thought about it, keeps it tidy i guess'. I said , 'My hair's nice and tidy under this turban'. She said 'I guess there's no reason really to cut it - it's not like it's going to keep on growing and growing trailing behind me!'
We all have heard many reasons for keeping hair, but here is what our Guru Granth Sahib ji teaches us ,one day we'll understand fully..
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1. The God-ward ones meditate on the Lord with each hair on the body. Nanak says, the God-ward ones are absorbed in holy truth. (page941)
2. My heart has been penetrated by the holy Name. I have beheld the Lord outside too. Nanak says, He pervades all places - in forest-glades, grass-blades and each hair. (page966)
3. The Name Divine pervades each hair of our body. This bounty has come from the holy Guru. (page 1144 Guru 5)
4. In your grace grant me a sight of yourself, so that night and day I may sing your praises and brush the feet of the holy with my hair. This alone is my objective. (page 500)
5. The Lord-Creator Himself stood by us and not a single hair on the head was hurt. (page 623 - Guru Arjun ji)
6. Making my hair into a fan, may I wave it over the holy one. My head bowing at his feet, may I apply the dust of his feet to my face. (page 745 Guru Arjun Dev ji) 7. With my eyes I have association with the holy ones and I serve them. With my hair I brush their
feet. Day and night I have the sight of the holy ones - such is the joy Nanak has attained. (page 1217)
8. Jain Monks are thrown astray, misled by God's Writ. They do not utter the Name. Not cutting their hair, they pluck it with their hands (they remain bald). They remain involved night and day in filth and are indifferent to devotion to the holy Word. (page 1285 Guru 3)
9. Kabir says, what good is close-cropping (cutting) the hair when the mind (remains) unreformed?
Whatever (action) is done, is done by the mind. I is useless to remove the hair. (page 1369 Kabirji)
11.4 Head Covering - Keskee
Why are Sikhs prohibited from wearing caps and hats?
Imagine Baba Deep Singh jee great warrior, mighty hero, walks into the gurdwara with a baseball cap with 'X' on the front!!!!! We've got our own culture. Everything you wear says something about you. 80% of our communication to other people is the non-verbal signals we pass.
30 years ago everyone in England wore a hat or a cap. The city workers had their black bowlers, the football fan had his felt cap, your head covering identified you. It told others who you where, what you believed, what your background was.
People say its only important to cover your head so I'll put a cap on. Imagine the Queen on her coronation came walking down the aisle with the whole world +watching on TV, she sat down and the person who was to place the crown on her head whisked out a baseball cap and said 'O! Its only covering the head thats important - not what you cover it with!!!!!!!!' I dont think the queen would have been happy.
Guru Gobind Singh ji said 'khalsa meray roop ha khas' the khalsa is my special form. Wear a cap and look in the mirror, if you feel like the special form of Guru Gobind Singh ji then go ahead wear it, but to everyone else it will look like you are hiding your hair, ashamed of your Sikhi trying to be what you're not. like if the man on terraces wore a black bowler he wouldnt be accepted he would be laughed at.
You have to keep the outer physical discipline so that Naam can stay inside. A broken bottle will let the water leak out. If the outer discipline goes then bit by bit you merge back into the worldly way (manmat)where you came from and the same old thoughts will permeate your mind.
11.5 Can We Take The 5ks Off?
When Guru Gobind Singh Jee stood infront of the ocean of Sikhs holding the mighty curved sri sahib above his head asking for a head, he created an army called the Khalsa. Khalsa Akal Purakh Kee Fauj.
But this army of khalsa soldiers was not merely fighting the battle against Moghuls, Hill Rajas and thieves and bandits. These Khalsa warriors had the more important life of death struggle against the 5 enemies inside them to fight as well.
Every army has its code of conduct, reporting structure and uniform. All these items maintain discipline within each warrior and unite each individual with one another into an army. Like one finger is weak, but a 4 fingers and a thumb combine into a fist.
The external uniform is the 5Ks and a covered head, if every Khalsa soldier wears the same uniform then they are united like a fist. A soldier in any other army will go to his bed at night and remove his uniform. His daily external battle is over, he can relax for the night.
The Khalsa warrior on the other hand has no time to rest. The 5 enemies never sleep, they dont allow the Khalsa warrior the luxury of relaxing for the night and then resuming the battle at sunrise.
If the 5 enemies don't get tired of attacking us, then the Khalsa doesn't get tired of fighting them. I can't be in the warrior frame of mind if I'm not wearing my Khalsa Uniform. My discipline has gone, my defences are down, the front door is open for the 5 enemies to conquor me in my dreams and in my bed.
Visar Nahee Datar Apanay Naam Deho Gun gava din raat Nanak Chao eho.
Never Forget me Giver, Give me your naam
May I sing your praises day and NIGHT this is Nanak's desire.
Being Khalsa is not a day job - it's my life, every moment I am tested...night and day I have to think did I remember naam or did the 5 enemies get the better of me?
So it is not acceptable for a Khalsa warrior to let their defences down by removing the 5K uniform and uncovering their head at night.
11.6 Covering The Head.
That is part of our Khalsa uniform too. Covering head is a sign of humility, God is everywhere day and night, we remain humble infront of God everywhere and day and night.
Wearing the Khalsa uniform is difficult at first. For example, when the cowboys break-in a wild horse, the horse hates having reigns and a saddle fitted...but then it gets used to it and even carries the weight of a man without any problem. We are wild and undisciplined, the 5Ks and head covering are the reigns guru gobind singh jee is fitting over our wild mind and body horse. We to dont like losing our freedom, but we get used to it and will be able to carry the weight of Waheguru Ji's Light and Power when Guru Nanak Dev Jee steps inside our body.
It all comes back to Naam simran, our uniform is to help us on this path, not hinder us.