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Summary of Question:	Importance Of Shastars/ Weapons
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Sunday, 2/12/2006 4:25 PM MST

hi. can you please explain why people bow down to kirpaans and other sikh weapons. why are they so holy? are they as important as gurbani?

a while back i was in a gurudwraa and the giani ji said if y want to pray and y uohave no guru yu ocan pray in front of shastars...


please explain to me as i am confused

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reply
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Sat Siri Akaal. Sikhs exist today because we had to take up arms in the face of total oppression. There was a bounty on every Sikh's head. It was fight or die. Today the kirpan worn by Sikhs represents a promise to stand up for those who have no defense, and to defend ourselves (not offend others).

Spiritually, weapons--especially the sword-- represent truth and light. Guru Gobind Singh wrote a shabd on the sword as an extension of God. "Jai Taygung" is, I believe, in Amrit Kirtan. It's in 10th master's Bachitr Natak composition.

Guru is everywhere. Swords are not Guru. Gurbani is still the heart of Sikhi and its teachings. If you don't have a Guru and want soemthing to focus your ardas on, I would recommend any gurbani book, such as NitNaym, Sukhmani, Sundar Gutka, Amrit Kirtan, because these are distillations of the teachings of Guru. I have also seen Sikhs use a picture of Darbar Sahib for this purpose. I have seen people pray in the general direction of the community gurdwara.
But in the end, just pray. Guru still hears you. Guru ang sang,
-DKK