THE KHALSA

It is the immortality of sacred identification with Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, the immortality of a mystical union with Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, and the immortality of total reliance in the Divine Name that distinguishes and marks the Khalsa from others.

Khalsa is the product of the Creative Impulse of God. Khalsa is born directly out of the purest Creative Vision of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. It is a Holy Army of the Deathless (Akal), at once pure and perfect, baptized and sculptured in purity of love and total sacrifice. It sustains itself purely on the Divine Name. Khalsa remains untouched by the world of sin, impurity and evil.

Khalsa is the holy child of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. Being the holy child of a Divine Parent, Khalsa can never become orphan and will perpetually shine in the Eternal Glory of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. These Divine Children of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib live their holy life in Divine Presence and Abode, in utter humility and devotion, spiritually far above this mortal plane of existence. They are the holy instruments in the hands of the Divine, holding aloft the Banner of Truth, Purity, Love and Bliss. Khalsa is the repository of all virtues. He is the true embodiment of all the excellences of the Great Religion of Love established by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.

Khalsa by virtue of his divine nature is a Benefactor and Redeemer of mankind. Blessed is the Khalsa as he was baptized and initiated personally and directly by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Himself.

Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib had eventualized the Will of God in creating the Khalsa and He Himself is the Divine Guide of their destinies.
Baba Narinder Singh Ji

It is a blessed Army of the Akal (Timeless). Khalsa is a Soldier of God designed for the performance of Divine Mission assigned to him by his Beloved Satguru.

Khalsa is born for Universal Welfare and Redemption. In his redemptive life, his concern is not limited to his own salvation but it embraces the whole humanity in which he clearly beholds his own All Pervading Beloved Satguru.

Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib is the Beloved of the Khalsa and the Khalsa is the Beloved of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. Both are the Lovers and the Beloveds at the same time.

Khalsa lives a life-pure, a life-divine. He lives a life of Divine Sample, a life of an Holy Instrument in the Hands of the Divine. Khalsa lives in the Divine and Khalsa dies for the Divine.

In the Context of Time Frame, The life of the Khalsa is an Holy extension of the Divine personality of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.

It is the immortality of sacred identification with Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, the immortality of a mystical union with Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib and the immortality of total reliance in the Divine Name that distinguishes and marks the Khalsa from others.


Who and What is a Khalsa?

"He who keeps alight the unquenchable torch of truth, and never swerves from the thought of One God; he who has full love and confidence in God and does not put his faith, even by mistake, in fasting or the graves of Muslim saints, Hindu crematoriums, or Jogis places of sepulchre; he who recognises the One God and no pilgrimages, alms-giving, non-destruction of life, penances, or austerities; and in whose heart the light of the Perfect One shines, - he is to be recognised as a pure member of the Khalsa" (Guru Gobind Singh, 33 Swaiyyas)

The word "Khalsa" means "pure", Khalsa's are Sikhs which have undergone the sacred Amrit Ceremony initiated by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The Khalsa order was initially created on Baisakhi Day March 30 1699, with Guru Gobind Singh baptizing 5 Sikhs and then in turn asking the five Khalsa's to baptize him. Following this the Guru personally baptized thousands of men and women into the Khalsa order. The Khalsa baptism ceremony is undertaken as part of ones own personal spiritual evolution when the initiate is ready to fully live up to the high expectations of Guru Gobind Singh. All Sikhs are expected to be Khalsa or be working towards that objective.

The Khalsa baptism ceremony involves drinking of Amrit (sugar water stirred with a dagger) in the presence of 5 Khalsa Sikhs as well as the Guru Granth Sahib. The initiate is instructed in the following: (a) You shall never remove any hair from any part of thy body, (b) You shall not use tobacco, alcohol or any other intoxicants, (c) You shall not eat the meat of an animal slaughtered the Muslim way, (d) You shall not commit adultery. The initiate is required to wear the physical symbols of a Khalsa at all times as well as follow the Khalsa Code of Conduct

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA
WAHEGURU JI KE FATEH

But what exactly is this holy scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib?

I would like to tell you about our present Guru, Guru Granth Sahib Ji. We follow their teachings. No major religious prophet personally recorded his teachings. For example, Jesus Christ did not write the Bible. Instead, years after his death, various followers wrote different accounts of his life. Many years after that, a group of religious scholars made decisions about which accounts would be included in the newly formed Bible and which would not be. Then, the original Latin bible was passed down over the years and translated repeatedly to create many different versions of the Bible, such as the King James version, which exist today. Christians do not agree on which version is authentic. Mormons actually believe there is a complete additional book that details Christ's visit to North America. Regardless of how these controversies will be resolved, what is known as fact is that not a single word in any Bible was authored by Jesus, because he did not write down any accounts of his life.

Another example is that of Muhammad in the Muslim faith. He did not author a single word in the Quran. Hence, we do not know first-hand what his experiences of God were. The above examples do not mean that these faiths are any less valid. Indeed, even the writings of Socrates and Pythagoras did not actually survive to the current day, but we still fully acknowledge their contributions. However, what is made clear is that if some religion were to somehow have a text authored directly by the prophet's own hand that has survived unadulterated to the present day, something of unprecedented value would exist upon this earth. Actually, such a text does exist - it is called the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, and was compiled by the Gurus (revealed prophets) themselves.

The Guru Granth Sahib has several unique characteristics that ensure its authenticity, two of which will be described here. First, it was written in the most popular languages of that time and region of the world. In other words, it was not intended as an archaic book to be read only by the scholarly elite - rather, it was written so it could be understood by the common people. Hence, it has been possible for the original text to be passed down rather than having to rely on translations to comprehend it. Second, the Guru Granth Sahib is written in poetic verse. The rhyme and meter make it impossible to insert foreign material or remove passages without upsetting the flow of the whole document. As people study the Guru Granth Sahib, many even become familiar with the unique and subtle writing styles of the authors.

Because of these above characteristics, Sikhs do not regard the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as simply a holy book. Rather, it contains the first-hand, complete, and unadulterated message of their spiritual leaders. Therefore, it is considered to embody the living spirit of the Gurus. The paper, cover, and ink do indeed just form a book, but the pure message that book records in written form is the Guru of the Sikhs. Complete honors and respect must be given to that message, for it is the foundation of Sikh life.

SIKHISM

A progressive religion well ahead of its time when it was founded over 500 years ago, The Sikh religion today has a following of over 20 million people worldwide and is ranked as the worlds 5th largest religion. Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind and denounces superstitions and blind rituals. Sikhism is open to all through the teachings of its 10 Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Sikh History:

The founder of Sikhism was Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, (1469-1538) who was born in the Punjab area of what is now Pakistan. At Sultanpur, he received a vision to preach the way to enlightenment and God. He is responsible for the saying "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" which has since become one of the pillars of Sikhism. He taught a strict monotheism, the brotherhood of humanity. He rejected idol worship, and the Hindu concept of caste. Guru Nanak and Panth (his followers) later built the first Sikh temple at Katarpur.

A succession of nine Gurus (regarded as reincarnations of Guru Nanak) led the movement during the period from Guru Nanak's death until 1708. At that time, the functions of the Guru passed to the Panth and to the holy text, considered the 11th Guru.

Mogul emperors ruled a large area of South Asia from the 16th century until the end of the 18th century. They attempted to convert the Sikhs to Islam, but were unsuccessful. It has been said of one of the Sikh Gurus (considered by many Sikhs to have been the last guru) that "Had there been no Guru Gobind Singh, the entire country would have gotten circumcised" i.e. been converted to Islam.

In 1801, the Sikh state of Punjab was founded in Northern India by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. According to a historian Vincent Smith, "The Punjab State was neither a traditional Indian territorial State and monarchy, nor merely a dictatorship of one community over another. There was an element of partnership with other communities."

An invasion by Great Britain triggered the Sikh Wars (1845-1849). The British successfully gained control over all of India. After independence in 1947, occupied India was partitioned on religious grounds into a mostly Muslim Pakistan and mostly Hindu India. A mass migration of Sikhs and Hindus from Pakistan to India and a reverse migration of Muslims resulted, with immense loss of life. Some Sikhs have been seeking an independent homeland since the late 1940's.

The goal of Sikhs is to build a close, loving relationship with God.

Sikhs believe in a single, Formless God, with many names, who can be known through meditation. His concept is similar to Islam whose followers believe in a single God who has 99 names. The Mool Mantar, the first hymn composed by Guru Nanak, is recited daily by many Sikhs. It contains a description of many of the attributes of God: There is only one God; His Name is Truth; He is the Creator; He is without fear; He is without hate; He is beyond time (i.e. is immortal); He is beyond birth and death; He is self-existent. Only he can be worshiped. Rahras, a Sikh evening prayer states: "[O God] since I have fallen at your feet, I do not care for anybody else. I do not follow the religious ways preached by various religions believing in Ram, Mohammed, Puran or Qur'an. The Simritis, Shastras and the Vedas lay down different doctrines. But I do not recognize any of these. O God, I have written these hymns with your grace and kindness. All that has been said is in fact spoken by you."

The holy granth, the Shri Guru Granth, was initially compiled by the fifth guru, Shri Arjan Dev Ji. Subsequently, it was updated to include the writings of the sixth to ninth gurus. The tenth guru, Gobind Singh Ji assembled his writings separately into a number of books, including "Dasam Granth"

The holy granth consists of hymns and writings by the first nine Gurus, along with religious text from different Muslim and Hindu saints like: Kabir Ji, Baba Sheik Farid Ji, Bhagat Namdev, Bhagat Rav Dass Ji, etc. The Shri Guru Granth itself is considered the 11th and final Guru, and the Sikh's holiest religious text. It was made so by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

One unusual feature of Sikhism is that all Sikh males share the name: "Singh" which means "lion." Women carry the name of "Kaur" which means "princess."

The Five K's: These are clothing practices followed by stricter Sikhs, called Khalsa saints:

1. Kesa (long hair, which is never cut)
2. Kangah (comb)
3. Kacha (short pants)
4. Kara (metal bracelet)
5. Kirpan (a ceremonial dagger.

The Khanda -- the Sikh symbol

It is composed of four items, all traditional Sikh weapons:

• A vertical double edged sword with a broad blade, also called a Khanda
• Two curved swords, called kirpans. They are called miri and piri, after the names given to his personal kirpans by Guru Hargobind Singh Ji.
• A ring called a chakker (aka chakram). It is a very effective weapon, with a range of up to 50 meters (165 feet). This has been popularized in North America by the television series Xena the Warrior Princess.

The Khanda has been interpreted symbolically in many ways. one is:

"The Sikh emblem, Khanda, contains a ring of steel representing the Unity of God, a two edged sword symbolizing God's concern for truth and justice, and two crossed swords curved around the outside to signify God's spiritual power."

The Great Masters of Sikhism

The First Master: Guru Nanak Dev ji (1469 to 1539)
The Second Master: Guru Angad Dev Ji (1504 to 1552)
The Third Master: Guru Amar Das Dev Ji (1479 to 1574)
The Fourth Master: Guru Ram Das Ji (1534 to 1581)
The Fifth Master: Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1563 to 1606)
The sixth Master: Guru Hargobind Ji (1595 to 1644)
The Seventh Master: Guru Har Rai Ji (1630 to 1661)
The Eighth Master: Guru Harkrishan Ji (1656 to 1664)
The Ninth Master: Guru Tag Bahadur Ji (1621 to 1675)
The Tenth Master: Guru Gobind singh Ji (1666 to 1708)

“Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh”

Has a two fold meaning. It denotes a special relationship between God and those who dedicate their lives to His love and service. Also it is the expression of a devotee’s faith in the ultimate triumph of Truth over Falsehood. This Sikh salutation means “Khalsa belongs to God and to God alone belongs the Victory”.

The proper salutation for all Sikhs — “Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh” — was introduced by command of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji at the time of the manifestation of Khalsa in 1699.

"Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal"

One of the Sikh Slogans or Jaikaras, this is divided in two parts. The first,”Bole so Nihal” means “whoever utters shall be fulfilled”. The second part “Sat Sri Akal” means “Eternal is The Great Timeless Lord”. Sat Sri Akal shouted in unison, responding to the call — Bole So Nihal is a call to action, or expression of ecstatic joy or an invocation for Divine aid.