SIKH
Khalsa Practitioner
The tenth Guru described the Khalsa, not as a force to serve Sikhs alone, but as a Divinely established force to defend and uplift all.
Learn about the Khalsa practitioner lifestyle
Leap of faith, gift of Nām
During the time of the ten Gurus, one became a Sikh, or a disciple, through the charan amrit initiation, sipping water that was sanctified through the touch of the Guru’s charan. Charan referred to the revered feet of a saintly person, symbolising humility, service and stability.
In 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh Ji established the Khalsa initiation, charan amrit was transformed into khande-bate da amrit. Today, it is administered in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib Ji, by five initiates who represent the original Panj Pyare.
Traditionally, initiation ceremonies would involve giving Nām, a sacred chant to initiates. In his verses, Bhai Gurdas Ji names Vaheguru as the ‘Gurmantar’, and accounts of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s life recount the blessing of amrit nām, and the sacred chant of the Mool Mantar. During the amrit sanchar, these same two mantars are blessed to initiates as Nām.
For many Sikhs, to receive Nām through the amrit sanchar can seem daunting. As Guru Amar Das Ji, the third Guru, reminds us in the verse below, while thinking alone can leave us hesitant, the leap of faith can anchor us.
ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਵਸੈ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਏਕੋ ਸੋਇ ॥
ਗੁਰਮਤੀ ਘਟਿ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਸਹਜੇ ਜਿਿਨ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਜਾਣਿ ਪਛਾਣਿਆ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨਿਆ ॥4॥1॥
The One Creator’s light
Dwells dormant within all;
Through the Guru’s wisdom,
Its radiance is revealed
In the depths of the inner self.
Those who come to intuitively know,
And recognise that Divine presence,
Says Nanak, they obtain the gift of Nām,
And receiving it, their mind
Is anchored in acceptance.
– Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, ang 663
Amrit - the sweetness of connection
The word amrit describes something sacred and ambrosial. Since a-mrit means ‘beyond death’, it evokes the sweetness of connecting with the undying Divine, and of awakening timeless, sublime qualities within us.
Amrit is also the sanctified water used in the amrit sanchar, or Sikh initiation. To prepare it, water (evoking purity and humility) is poured into an iron bowl or bata. To this, sweet wafers, or patasay, are added (evoking kindness and compassion). A khandā, or double-edged sword, is then moved back and forth while five daily prayers (Nitnem) are recited. The metal signifies strength and resilience, whilst the prayers infuse the amrit with wisdom and sanctity.
At the first, historic amrit sanchar, some 230 years of service and sacrifice, by all ten Sikh gurus, were now distilled into each drop of amrit and the Khalsa’s way of life. By transcending their fear of death, the Panj Pyare had deepened the meaning of amrit as an ‘elixir of immortality’.
The amrit sanchar, then, marks a conscious commitment to the lifelong cultivation of a bond – between our atma (soul, or eternal inner being) and Param-atma (God, the Eternal Supreme Being).
Transcending boundaries
On that Vaisakhi day in 1699, Sikhs had flocked from far and wide across South Asia. Such a diverse gathering reflected the many decades the Sikh Gurus spent in regions beyond the Punjab, particularly during the lifetimes of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.
The Panj Pyare themselves came from different regions – from the north, south, east and west of India. Growing up with different home languages and local cultures, they also represented different occupations, while being unified through their common allegiance to the Khalsa.
1 - Bhai Daya Singh Ji (1661 - 1708)
Birthplace: Lahore, Punjab
Birth Name: Daya Ram
Parents: Suddha and Mai Dayali
of the Sobhi Khatri Clan
Occupation: Shopkeeper
Martyred : Age 47 - Nanded, 1708
2 - Bhai Dharam Singh Ji (1666 - 1708)
Birthplace: Hastinapur, Uttar Pardesh
Birth Name: Dharam Das
Parents: Sant Ram & Mai Sabho of The Jatt clan
Occupation: Farmer
Martyred : Age 42 - Nanded, 1708
3 - Bhai Himmat Singh Ji (1661 - 1705)
Birthplace: Jagannath Puri, Orissa
Birth Name: Himmat Rai
Parents: Gulzaree and Dhanoo
of The Kumihar clan
Occupation: Water Carrier
Martyred : Age 44 - Chamkaur Sahib, 1705
4 - Bhai Mohkam Singh Ji (1663 - 1705)
Birthplace: Dwarka, Gujrat
Birth Name: Mohkam Chand
Parents: Tirath Chand and Devi Bai
of The Chhimba clan
Occupation: Tailor
Martyred : Age 44 - Chamkaur Sahib, 1705
5 Bhai Sahib Singh Ji (1662 - 1705)
Birthplace: Bidar, Karnataka
Birth Name: Sahib Chand
Parents: Bhai G Narayana and Ankamma Bai
of The Nai clan
Occupation: Barber
Martyred : Age 43 - Chamkaur Sahib, 1705
A distinct identity
Each element of the distinct Khalsa identity, through the wearing of the dastar (turban) and panj kakkar (five gifts of identity) – signposted values seen as vital and sacred to all humanity, for our personal and collective flourishing on the planet. As such, the tenth Guru described the Khalsa, not as a force to serve Sikhs alone, but as a Divinely established force to defend and uplift all.
In the preparation of the amrit, traditional ideas of masculine and feminine attributes were interfused to shape the psyche of the initiates, combining courage with compassion and empowerment with empathy. As women began to take amrit, they reflected the Guru’s vision of a noble, dignified and resilient human being, transcended all divides.
The Five Kakkars
Sikhs are gifted the 5 Kakkars. Each begin with the letter ‘k’ and they help shape Sikh identity. These are a blessing from the Guru.
- Each kakkar evokes a way of seeing and being in the world, which the initiates have commited to:
- With my kara (iron wristlet), I commit to remembering my Creator before I act.
- With my kes (uncut hair), I will be reminded of the Divine will and move closer to my God-given identity.
- With my kanga (wooden comb), I will detangle and control my thoughts, and replace my doubts with optimism.
- With my kachhera (cotton undergarment), I will be self-disciplined and respect the dignity of all.
- With my kirpan (noble sword of benevolence and dignity), I will uphold goodness in the world.
- Securing my kirpan in a gatra (sash worn diagonally across the heart) I will maintain a virtuous mindset.
Male and some female Sikhs also wear a dastar (turban):
- With my dastar, I will wrap my mind with a crown of divine qualities.
Gender equality within the Khalsa
In the story of the Khalsa’s creation, sweetness and strength are seen to be fused in the preparation of the amrit, so that values ordinarily distinguished as feminine and masculine became symbolically combined in the making of the Khalsa personality. This is reflected too in Gurbani’s portrayal of virtues as radiant jewels and as benign weapons that bring beauty as well as strength. Whilst some compositions appear to read like advice on feminine virtues – for the jīv-istrī to become ‘gunvantī’, or ‘full of virtue’ – they clearly address all human beings at large.
Just as a Sikh is expected to integrate the roles of servant, householder, warrior and saint, Sikh women draw on different examples of female roles across their heritage, from the strong and devoted wife to the independent leader, and from the nurturing mother to the courageous lioness, as exemplified by the wives, mothers and daughters of the Gurus in cultivating and sustaining the growing Sikh faith. At the same time, Punjabi cultural norms that were challenged by the Gurus themselves have persisted over the centuries, such as favouring the birth of boys. Linked to a traditional economy where the birth of a girl was a liability, this mindset remains reflected in alarming rates of aborting female foetuses in Punjabi no less than other South Asian communities.
During early Sikh history, including colonial times in British India, the public realm was largely a ‘man’s world’, through prevailing attitudes as well as practical constraints, such as managing the cycles of menstruation, child-birth and child-rearing without resources we are accustomed to today. Whilst historical events – including the two world wars – gave prominence to a martial, masculine Sikh identity, the Sikh Rehat Maryādā contained some strong statements for its time relating to women’s equality, as a basis for the future shaping of norms in Sikh practice. In the lives of individuals, families, and institutions, as Sikhs continue to preserve aspects of tradition and build on new possibilities, time will show how the male and female dimensions of being Sikh can come to flourish in a state of dignified balance.