History of Baisakhi
Let’s go back in time to the date of Arpil 14,1699.
Everyone was very upset about
the Shaheedi of Guru Teg Bahadur ji.
This is when Guru Gobind Singh JI called everyone to Anandpur Sahib.
There he asked 5 volunteers
to give up their lives to the Guru for Sikhism.
He came out with a bloody sword so people
started to get scared but 5 devotees still
volunteered their head! The Guru never killed
anyone. He brought these people out of the
tent in blue.
These were the Punj Pyare:
1. Bhai Himmat Singh,
2. Bhai Sahib Singh,
3. Bhai Daya Singh,
4. Bhai Dharam Singh, and
5. Bhai Mukham Singh.
The Punj Pyare represent five virtues
essential for mankind.
I would like to explain
that I mean by that.
1. Himmat means courage.
2. Sahib means leader.
3. Daya means compassion.
4. Dharam means duty to mankind.
5. Maukham means determination.
See how the five go together for us to lead a
complete life, physically and spiritually.
I would like to emphasize another point here:
The Punj Pyare were going to give up their
lives for their Guru without asking any
questions. What does this teach us? It
teaches us to have faith and trust in God.
Whatever he does is the best. We might not
think that at the time but he knows more than
we do. We learn a Shabad in our Khalsa
School “Tera kiya meetha lage” which means
that all of God’s deeds are sweet for us. I
know I always think of this when things don’t
go my way.
Baisakhi is our day. This is the day we actually
developed an identity. The KHALSA was created.
This is the day when we
could call ourselves Singhs and Kaurs of the
Guru. . He gave us Punj Pyare and taught us
how to live a fulfilled life. He demonstrated the
true meaning of devotion to God. He also gave
the Khalsa 5 Ks. Each of them has a strong
meaning that we should always remember.
Kara, kanga, kachhehra, kesh and kirpan.
Kara represents strength and
integrity. It reminds us that the
human soul should be unbreakable
just like the Kara. It also means
that the world is one and we as
humans are just all one big family.
We should not discriminate against
each other for any reason: gender,
color, or race.
Kirpan shows that we are ready to
defend anyone weak. It also shows
our readiness to stand up against
discrimination and injustice to
ANYONE.
Kanga to keep us clean but not just
physically. As we comb our hair
daily this is also combing our mind
with the guru’s knowledge.
Kacchera symbolizes self-control
and also prohibition of adultery.
Kesh is a symbol of holiness.
Turbans, that we put on top of our
hair represents leadership.
