Page 30 - Gurmat Book 5

men following him dressed in the same kind of clothes as himself. They looked

splendid and radiant.

Guru Ji prepared Amrit. He stirred water with a Khanda in a steel bowl, while

reciting Gurbani. Mata Sahib Kaur Ji came and added patasay to the bowl. This
gave Khalsa a sweet personality. Guru Ji gave Amrit to the five Sikhs. He gave
all of them last name ‘Singh’ and told them that they were all equal and all
differences based on caste among them now vanished. He also had them drink

Amrit from the same bowl. He called them Khalsa, the pure ones. He said that
the five of them were now equal to the Guru.

This event is unique in history of religions that the master himself gave the
equal status to his followers. He called them Panj Piaray.

Then he did another thing that was extraordinary. The Guru kneeled before the
Panj Piaray and asked them to give him Amrit too. From Gobind Rai, he himself
became Gobind Singh. Because of this people say:

vwhu vwhu goibMd isMG Awpy gur cylw]

“Wow! Wow! Gobind Singh is both a Guru and a follower”

Amrit had transformed these Sikhs into the Khalsa. These are the Panj Piaray
that we remember in our Ardas every day.

Thousands took Amrit that day. The Amrit ceremony infused a brave spirit in the
Sikhs. He prescribed a strict code of conduct for them and called it Rehit. The
Khalsa were ready to fight against the injustices of the Mughal Empire. They

were ready to be the saint-soldiers ready to defend the weak. Khalsa would
eventually defeat the Mughal rulers and bring an end to the darkness of cruelty
that had taken over India.

Chapter questions
1. What was the condition of India in the 17 century?
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Stepping Stones Gurmat Sikhia Book 5G 2023 Edition Page 28