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Summary of Question:	Kesh.....Keskhi?........And A Few Comments
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Sunday, 3/02/2003 6:26 AM MST

Hey, Hope u r all well. Iv sent you so many meaasages/comments and your probably getting really annoyed with me so i do apologise. But i cant seem to help myself.

The first question i wanted to ask is What Is the exact maeaning of 'Bole So Nihal- sat shri akaal' I have found interpretations of many prayers but there are certain things i cannot find interpretations for e.g ardaas (even though most of it is easy to understand). Is it just asking everyone to say sat shri akaal together?

2) Why do sikhs have to cover their head?
When i was younger the sikhs in the area i lived in said that sikh girls were not supposed to wear a turban because the guru granth sahib didnt say anything about it - men were supposed to wear a pag - but now everyones wearing them - im confused. Also when i asked my mum she told me that growing up her mother who has taken amrit but does not waer a turban - but wears a chunee - told her that she did not wear a turban/keskhi because it was something that man brought in to sikhi it was not said by the guru - i dont know if thats exactly want she said/meant but i think that was the jist of it.

3) I thought that kesh was hair and when you talk about kesh of the 5k's it meant uncut hair. But when i went to the gurdwara today the preacher man (i know thats not the correct term but thats what it felt like he was doing) Said that kesh means to wear a keskhi, So i was hoping you would beable to explain it to me.
He also said if you didnt wear a keskhi you were not a sikh????

4) As sikhs we are not supposed to wear provocative clothing....So i believe as long as you truely believe what you are wearing is not provocative you are doing the right thing. However the preacher man was going into great detail about what sikh girls should not wear e.g I wear baggy jeans (not fitted, baggy)But according to him no matter how baggy your clothes are if you do not wear a log top that in length is to your mid thigh (covers your bum)then what you are doing is wrong and you are only doing it to attract men - is my belief wrong becauase i thought provocative clothing were things that showed off your cleveage and short skirts and hot pants....etc

5) does not wearing provocative clothing only count for woman? The preacher man didnt include men's dress code in his speech. I thought we were supposed to be equal? Also the gudwara have a football and weight lifting team who compete in the punjabi tournaments and they all run around in shorts and nothing else........so is it acceptable for men? Or does it depend on the time and place?

6) I love listening to hip hop / rnb music - if you dont listen to it then ill just let you know that a lot of the . . . .

<<<<< REPLY >>>>>

<chuckle> No, I'm not annoyed at all Sunny Ji. Keep up posting. No problem.

Bole So Hihal means "speak and be blessed". It is an exhortation to the sangat to reply. Are you looking for an English translation of our Ardaas? If so, I can post such here.

2. We cover our head to protect the hairs and the 10th gate. We tie turban to apply pressure to the temples and the cranial sutures to stimulate the energy to the brain. It is an ancient technology, long before our Gurus, but well understood by them.

3. Kesh means uncut hair. It does not mean keskhi. Your understanding is correct. The keskhi is just part of tying dastar and helps to heep the hairs solidly in place. It is our uncut hairs that are the rehit.

4. You know what's provocative and what's not. It is also a matter of intent. If you are clear, noble and self-contained, you do not radiate a sexual vibration to others. Your clothes express your state of mind. Let your clothing be simple, clean and modest. It is not a matter of rules - it is a matter of consciousness. When people try to be sexy, it's pretty obvious.

5. When you go swimming you wear a bathing suit. When you work in the garden, you wear clothes that don't show dirt and are easy to work in. When you play football or hockey, you wear sports clothes and keep your turban. When you go about, you wear your bana. See #4 above.

6. Music affects your state of consciousness. You discriminate for yourself how music affects you and choose what music brings your mind to where you want it to be.

Gur Fateh!

All love in divine, .....G