Baisakhi, Sikhism & Khalsa-Panth

L.P. Singh

Three hundred and twenty two years back, tenth Sikh Guru - Guru Gobind Singh - Ji created Khalsa Panth at Anandpur Sahib on 1st of Baisakhi 1699. Khalsa Panth was created by great work and sacrifices of all the ten Sikh Gurus and for a great purpose. The purpose was to set right the previous ideas whereby religion was treated as one whole, each being claimed as superior to others, involving conversion and the accompanying coercious and tyrannies, breaking all the norms of Dharma.

"Love", "Service of humanity, tolrance" and "forgiveness". These are the important qualities of Khalsa. The Sikh Guru themselves were full of these qualities and showed the same way to Khalsa.

Guru Nanak the founder of Sikhism had set a plan to work and a long plan to produce an entirely new religion. Each of the ten Gurus performed allotted parts in completing the long plan formulated by Guru Nanak with the object of producing a new religion, each follower of which was to be a saint and soldier in one, to hold aloft the torch of Dharma.

Numerous are the events in lives of the ten Gurus which contributed towards formation of such an ideal character. The fifth Guru - Guru Arjun Dev Ji and ninth Guru - Guru Teg Bahadur Ji gave sacrifices of their lives in much brave and courageous manners as are unexpected in the Annals of History.

Guru Arjun Dev Ji was most brutally tortured by Mughal emperor for several days in the prison and was boiled in the boiling water for couple of days. Hot sand was put on his bared body and was asked to sit on hot iron pan. But in all agony, Guru Arjun Dev ji was calm, loving and firm as steel. He suffered all these to give an example of heroic patience required for implementation of non-violence as a weapon for correcting social cruelty and injustice. At last his mutilated body was thrown in river Ravi and so died a martyr to the Sikh religion.

Guru Teg Bahadur was beheaded in the Chandni Chowk. The coldblooded murder of the Guru was decreed. Guru Teg Bahadur sacrificed his life for his countrymen to show that it is better to die willingly then to accept coercion, slavery and injustice. He thus used his death as a final means to crush the enemy and weaken the forces through non-violence method.

Tenth Guru - Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed his four sons for the same noble cause, along with his mother and father.

Even being physically separated all the ten Gurus were one in spirit. Guru Nanak had the spirit of God infused in him which he passed on Guru Gaddi to Angad Dev ji before his death the same was passed on to Guru Anar Das ji and so on...

Guru Nanak originally planned the formation of the New Panth. Guru Gobind Singh had completed the structure thereof by creating the 'Khalsa' at last.

On the memorable 1st day of Baisakhi in 1699 the tenth Guru Gobind Sing organized the Khalsa by baptizing the Sikhs with 'Amrit' a nectar prepared in an iron vessel with water and sugar. During the preparation of 'Amrit' Guru recited some verses and stirred it with double edge sword 'Khanda'.

He abolished caste and brought the high and low to a status of equality. He vested the leadership in the community i.e. Guru Panth. It was a trial of democracy practised in the realm of religion. The Singhs of Khalsa army was given philosophy and programme of life, thus living as a model saint soldiers. The Guru himself received baptism from the five beloved ones (Whom Guru himself baptised first), in the same way and exclaimed that Khalsa rose from Guru from Khalsa. Each and every baptised Saikh has to wear five K's. (i) Kes or uncut Hairs, (ii) Kangha or comb, (iii) Kripan or sword, (iv) Kara or bracelet and v) Kacha or shorts.

It was army and a brotherhood who vowed to devote their lives to the eradication of tyranny and injustice.

The main objective of Khalsa is to drive out evils, sufferings and darkness of falsehood and bring about light of Dharma, love and brotherhood in mankind.

Guru Govind Singh after baptising the five beloved ones, patted them with his hand, he cried in loud voice 'Repeat Khalsa of the waheguru, victory of the holy waheguru.' In Punjabi it is to be said as:

"Waheguru - ji - ka - khalsa

Waheguru - ji - ki – fateh"