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Summary of Question:	Branches
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Wednesday, 5/28/2003 6:47 PM MDT

Waheguru Jee Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Jee Kee Fateh

I have a question, its been on my mind for a quite a while and anytime I would ask a parent or elder they didn't know how to respond. This may sound silly but my father was in the backyard the other day, and started trimming the branches of a tree, he did that because the neighbor complained that the leaves were falling on his vegetable garden. I wasn't very happy about him cutting the branches of the tree. I asked myself, why can you cut the branches of a tree but you cannot cut your hair. I personally understand the importance of keeping your hair in the Sikh faith, but I don't understand how hair differs from branches. This sounds like a silly association but can't the branches of trees be compared with human hair? I mean God intended for the tree's branches to be long, if they fall of naturally then it's a different story but isn't it wrong to be cutting branches off a tree. The reason people cut bushes and branches off trees is so that they will be kept "neat and tidy" looking and so the branches and bushes don't get into the way of other plants, but correct me if I'm wrong, isn't that the reason why most people cut their hair, to keep it so called "clean, neat and tidy" and so it would not get in the way. Our family is Sikh and we all keep our hair, for some strange reason I thought he was being hypocritical. Please answer me question because no one else seems to know the answer.

Waheguru Jee Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Jee Kee Fateh

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REPLY
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Sat Sri Akal,

We keep our hair because Guru Gobind Singh Ji said to. We don't keep our hair because it's a "gift" from god or because of some metaphysical reason. Those reasons don't matter. We keep our hair only because the Guru said so. To keep our hair neat and tidy, we tie turbans (not just males either).

So while you can compare branches and hair like did in your question, you are looking at it from the wrong viewpoint. God intended branches to be long and for our hair to be long (or so we think - who am I to say what God intended). But the reason for keeping hair is not because it's what we think God wanted (since we don't know what God wants), it's only because the Guru said to. This is why cutting off branches and cutting hair are two very different things.

I hope this helps.

Gur Fateh,
HSD