Page 38 - Gurmat Book 5

Lesson 18: Principles of Sikhism: The Five K’s – pMj kkwr

Many people wear special articles in reverence of their religious faith. All of
these articles are important because they have special meaning for them. The

Sikhs too have five articles that they cherish and wear. The tenth Guru of the
Sikhs asked the Sikhs to keep five articles of faith.

These are not symbols. You cannot use pictures of them. They are actual

things and you can actually wear them. These articles all begin with the sound

/k/. So we call them the Five Kays or Panj Kakkaar.

Each of these five articles has a special significance to the Sikhs. The

Sikhs who accept the faith take Amrit and make a promise to keep the 5 K’s and

follow the path of the Khalsa, the pure one. Guru Gobind Singh Ji never explained
what these articles mean. So people guess what they mean. There are many

explanations. The following explanation is one that the author learned from her
parents.

1. Kase/Kes/Kesh: Khalsa are saint soldiers. The long, uncut hair, or Kase or Kes

or Kesh symbolize saintliness. Take a look at any of the religious leaders- Jesus,

Moses, Abraham, Lord Krishan, Lord Ram and many others, all had long hair.

Kesh are a gift to us from God. God gave us long hair for a reason, which we may

not know. And we have long hair only on our heads, not on any other body part
(except for beard and moustache). In addition, when we keep hair uncut, we look

like the way our Guru Ji looked. We look handsome.

2. Kangha: A Kangha is a small comb. It is meant to keep our hair clean. When we

keep our hair clean, we will also keep our body clean. We will probably not get
sick from germs. Also a clean mind lives in a clean body.

3. Kada (kVw): A Kada or Karha is the steel ring Khalsas wear on their wrist. A

Kada on our wrist reminds us that we are responsible for our actions. Whenever
we do anything, good or bad, the Kada is there for us to think. We should only do

good actions and we should never hurt anybody because we are supposed to be

good and Guru Ji watches our every action.

Stepping Stones Gurmat Sikhia Book 5G 2023 Edition Page 36