Previous

Next

Ask a Question

Summary of Question:	Why Is 'Kesh ' Given Preferance Over All Other K's
Category:	Turban
Date Posted:	Tuesday, 2/04/2003 6:41 AM MST

hi

i am a sikh. as far as i know the meaning of sikh is simple....'one who is learning'.
i got my hair cut around 10 years back and i was disowned by my grandfather....my father was extremely angry and did not speak to me for 1 year till i promised him that i will keep hair again. the reason i got my hair cut was simple...i did not keep other k's like karpan and kanga.i felt that a person should fulfill all k's .
i have found 80 % of my sikh friends who wear turbans to be trimming their beard. further i read in khushwant singh's autobiography that keeping hair made him recognise as a sikh even though he used to eat gutka and smoked tobacco. many of my friends do questionable activities while maintaining full hair and a turban .
my question to you is this simple...if a religion is for inner peace and inner self than why do we have to have an outward appearence of wearing a turban just to be considered a sikh even though we may not keep kirpan or kanga?i mean why is kes given preferance over all other k's .further my understanding of sikhism tells me that Guru Gobind Singh created khalsa on the basis of equality.so how come there r strong divisions b/w sikhjs with some jatts;khatris[teased as 'bhapas']lubana;tarkhans;s/c;s/t and if everyone is equal than how do majhbi sikhs and s/c s/t sikhs get reservations in india . there is stiff resistance for intercaste marriage and people boldly write there last names like atwal;tiwana;dhillon;bedi etc ...though Guru Gobind Singh asked everyone to just write singh and kaur after their names.why this practice of surnames?one thing more ...Gurur Nanak through his baani allways emphasised on egoless personality [lack of pride....] still most jatts and rich khatris are allways boastfull. i will be thankfull if u solve all these puzzles about sikhism to me

----

Your observations are very correct. Is it not hypocritical to "look" like a Sikh and not "live" as a Sikh? This is probably the challenge of every person practicing a religion or spiritual path. The most important thing is for each of us to decide what is important for us. Judging each other is the worst error. Acceptance and love will liberate us. Each of us has to look within and decide why we are Sikhs and why we "choose" to practice the Sikh Rehit. It is an experience not a ritual. I feel focused and centered with my long hair tied up in a turbin. I feel light, strong and healthy as a vegetarian. I feel the Guru's presence when I read my banis or straight from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. I feel neutral, uplifted and healed when I meditate; and Tobacco, drugs and alcohol alter that neutral/meditative consciousness. I feel like the son/daughter of the Guru when I dress in Bana. I am a better person when I "practice" being a Sikh. I like looking like a Sikh, because it inspires me to keep up on a spiritual path and it inspires others to find their path as well (what ever it is). In this crazy, chaotic, hypocritical world in which we live, I appreciate the Sikh rehit boundaries, within which I feel free and uplifted. What you decide is best for you is a decision only you can make. May God and Guru guide you on your path. GTKK