INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

mon identity in the egalitarian community of Khalsa Sikhs. 356 Given this verbal declaration
local Sikhs frequently explain the Khande di pahul ceremony in terms of a solemn
“initiation” (diksha [Sanskrit]), sometimes compared to rites of passage in other
religions, such as the Muslim circumcision or the Christian baptism, that aim to establish
and confirm human divine relationships. As one female respondent (answer 6)
expressed in strong relational terms, to undergo the Khalsa ceremony is “to become a
child of the Guru”, that is, initiate or deepen an affectionate relationship with the
Guru to become a perfected Sikh or pupil (Guru ka Sikh). From this viewpoint, the
Khalsa ceremony can be seen as a type of ritualized agreement between disciple and
Guru, in which the disciple formally accepts the true Guru of gurbani and promises to
strictly adhere to the Khalsa order and instructions in the Guru Granth Sahib. 357 In
academic and educational literature treating the Khalsa rite and Amritdhari Sikhs the
focus is often restricted to the external symbols, the five K’s or kakkar (unshorn hair
(kesh), dagger (kirpan), drawers (kachhaira), comb (kanga), and steel bracelet (kara)),
which initiated Sikhs are obligated to wear and never remove from their body. In the
local context Sikhs give the five K’s great importance and regard the symbols as the
“uniform” of a Khalsa identity that was ordered by Guru Gobind Singh. Particularly
the steel bracelet and the comb are integrated in Sikh life-cycle rites and ritually donated
to infants as symbols considered instrumental for shaping their identity and
character in a positive manner. 358 What studies do not always bring up for analysis is
the commitment to keep a daily discipline of reciting a set of hymns and regularly
engaging in gurbani through other readings from the Guru Granth Sahib. The Amritdhari
Sikh is one who formally establishes a close relationship to the Guru, that is,
the words enshrined in the Sikh scripture and other text sanctioned as gurbani. As one
interlocutor pointed out, the ritual initiation into the discipline of Khalsa is not regarded
as a miraculous event (answer 2), but an occasion which accomplishes an
inner purification of the individual and initiates him or her into a long-term relationship
with the true Shabad Guru. 359 By regular engagement in gurbani and a loving
356
The declaration states that Guru Gobind Singh is the spiritual father and Mata Sahib Kaur is
the spiritual mother of the initiate, who should now consider Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur
Sahib as his or her native place.
357
Many interlocutors would say the creation of the Khande di pahul ceremony by Guru Gobind
Singh was itself the precious gift of a command which aimed to remove social inequalities and
bring individuals to a higher realm of moral standards and spiritual awareness.
358
Particularly the bracelet is used by all Sikhs as a powerful object believed to provide protection
from misfortune and evil forces.
359
On a symbolic level the ritual elements of the Khalsa ceremony resemble the events that took
place during Guru Nanak’s travel to a divine abode. The tenth chapter (Bein Pravesh) of Puratan
Janam-sakhi narrates how Guru Nanak was given a cup filled with nectar of the divine name
from God. Only after the Guru Nanak accepted to drink from the cup, and thereby imbued his
body with the nectar, did God choose him to be the Guru of the world. The narrative portrays
the divine act of giving nectar and the Guru’s act of ingesting it as a ritual contract that established
a close relationship between the Guru and God. Guru Nanak does not merely listen to the
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008