The Beard and it’s Purpose for Men
In this video Guruka Singh explains the purpose of the beard for men and why a woman doesn’t normally have hair there.
Download video (16MB)
18 Responses to “The Beard and it’s Purpose for Men”
Do You Enjoy MrSikhNet.com?
Can you help support SikhNet so this blog and the many services of SikhNet can continue? Donations small & large are greatly appreciated. Make a Donation.
Recent Posts
- Quotes on the Power of Woman
- Share you love of Gurbani Kirtan
- Time Lapse Photography in Nature
- Sikh Superhero Agent Deep Singh
- Universal Sikhi – Across cultures, religions and continents
- Dignity of the Mother
- Prabhupati: Becoming the Master of the Divine
- Aaraadhana – Acting Divinely
- What my Amrit Veylaa Sadhana Gives Me
- Know the Lowest, Aim for the Highest
Tags
3ho
Arjan Kaur
Audio
calendar
charanjeet
Charanjeet Kaur
Chardikala Jatha
Downloads
Educational
Events
Gurbani
Gurdwara
Guruka Singh
Gurumustuk Singh
Hari Bhajan Kaur
Humour
India
Jaap Sahib
judgement
Kundalini Yoga
Meditation
Miri Piri Academy
music
narayan
Narayan Singh
News
Panj
Pictures
Poetry
Quotes
Reviews
sadhana
Sat Kirin Kaur
SikhNet
Sikh Stories
Sikh Women
Sikh Youth
siri guru granth sahib
Snatam Kaur
stories
Summer Solstice
Thoughts
Videos
yogi bhajan
Youth Film Festival
WJKKWJKF Gurumustuk and GuruKa Singh
i have a question for GuruKa Singh Veer Ji….
Oh Guruka SIngh, Well my question is well people often ask me… well what is the purpose of Bana in Sikhi… they often state “if Sikhi is practiced from the heart whats the whole dillio of the KHalsa Bana?? B/c even Guru nanak Dev ji was upset at the “Fake” holy men, and wrote about them in Asa Ki Vaar…” the people even tell me “Oh Growing your hair doesn’t make you a better person… b/c i see people who keep their hair do just as bad things as the ones that dont’ keep their Hair”…
so do you have an answer to tell these people, b/c i dont know what to tell them… i just say Guru Ji will tell you answer when you “Follow SIkhi with your Heart”
Gurvinder Pal Singh Ji – Our bana makes us stand out in a crowd. We are instantly recognizable. Our bana forces us to the self awareness that we must be very consciously conscious of our words and actions, because we represent the image of our Gurus. It is both a self-discipline and also a signal to the world that we live as men and women who are committed to our values. One must be committed to be constant in bana. So our Guru has given us a very special gift.
Here is what Yogi Ji said about our bana:
“Bana is neither American nor it is Indian. I want to make it very clear. Bana is not a Punjabi dress, nor it is a U.P. dress, nor it is a South Indian dress, neither it comes from Sri Lanka, nor it comes from Canada, and neither Yogi Bhajan manufactured it. I just want to let you know. Bana comes from the concept and consciousness of Guru Gobind Singh himself.
Why I believe in it? I believe in it because at that time the humanity was so downtrodden, so rotten, so nothing. Tragedy of human life was so great, there was nothing to it. And I do believe at that time there were Pandits, there were scriptures, there were temples, there was puja, there was every facet of spiritual life practice available in India, and nothing worked. History guarantees it, confirms it, and makes us to read it.
Then, Guru Gobind Singh called a congregation on the day of Baisakhi. It is written in the records of the Imperial writer, that there were eighty to ninety thousand people there who came on his call alone. He also writes that the Guru asked for a sacrificial head… and he doesn’t address us like Sikhs. He addressed us like… saags kootay… dogs. And he said he and his dog… 80,000 dogs he said… Sagay taavaa. He and his 80 to 85 thousand dogs gathered together to bark at the imperial forces. Well… that’s how he writes. So he was not extremely friendly and compassionate, either. But he said that something strange happened, that this big dog asked the small dogs to give a sacrificial head and he said: “Some murmured and looked around. Some walked away, but one after the other, five got up. And each time a bleeding sword came out of the tent.” And he said, “I was, myself, shocked, what this guy is doing. This… the Guru of these people.” And he said, “After awhile I was shocked and amazed…” This is his writing, not mine… “That five people, totally alive, dressed by him in bana, came out.” And he said, “That shook my total being inside, and I knew what he has done, it is going to tear up the imperial power.”
That is why I know what bana did then, and I know humanity is not in a better condition now than then. And I do believe that what Guru Gobind Singh did, worked, and I do believe it will work now. To me, bana is not what I want to believe and I want to wear. But I know the time and the circumstances are coming so heavily, and humanity has to go through such a grind. I knew then, and I know it now, and I can say it for the future: We need people of that grit… that courage. And I agree with you scientifically, your stupid clothes — in YOUR English now I am talking — “A few stupid clothes are not going to make any difference.” Well, a few stupid thoughts are not going to make any difference, either! Bana is going to be bana and it’s going to be worn, and there’s not going to be two opinions about it! And this seals the argument against and for it. A proven fact is that the father of this nation did something, and we cannot betray it because that worked, and we have to take advantage of it. We want it to work now.
Psychologically it has an advantage. And that is an interpretation. It may not be true. Therefore I take no responsibility about the truth of it. You can interpret it the way you want it. Psychologically when a person wears bana, how richly he can wear, how poorly he can wear, he becomes very lonely and extremely exclusive. Absolutely out of the window. Bana does that and I know it. And Guru Gobind Singh says that,
“Jab lag khalsa rahe niaaraa.
Tab lag tej dee-o meh saaraa.
Jab eh gahai bipran kee re!t.
Meh naa karo in kee parteet.”
I will give divine radiance
to the Khalsa who will live as distinct.
But if they adopt the common ways, I will not satisfy them.
–Guru Gobind Singh, Sarab Loh Granth.
“I’ll not give them any satisfaction if they follow the commoner.”
And I have seen, understood, and thoroughly understand now, that bana is one thing which makes you totally exclusively separate from everything. It is very difficult to wear a bana and not think that you have to do something other than what you are doing. “Aashaa isht to paasanaa, kaan paan peraan.” (Peraan is bana.) “Tusee katay ko ahhay miter pachaan.” These three things must merge together to create the friendship.”
…..G
Guruka ji, Sat Nam! thanks for the history lesson! (sincerely!) i disagree in the change of humanity (for worse). it can be argued that humanity has changed for the better but i believe we’ve evolved in to something better/efficient but we’re still the same people. as for the Universe…i learnt this in physics class that the universe is constantly getting more and more chaotic.
do you think there should be an age limit for Amrit Shakna?
if you’d like my reasoning behind this question…would love to give it to you.
Sat Nam!
Guruka Singh Ji,
I have another question, what exactly constitutes a Bana, because in the religious circles there are two or three types that are worn by people. I hope I can describe them right: one is two piece with a cummerbund, second is a one piece like Nihangs wear, third is a two piece with a half jacket over. Are all of them considered proper Sikh bana? Please educate.
khalsa bana is five K’s.
As long you have five K’s and then you can wear anything you wish you and you will be still considered khalsa.
I believe Sikh is a primary stage where we learn how to be Gurmukh not manmukh. Then after hard work is the stage when we become khalsa.
However, someone can become khalsa from beginning if they have what it takes to become khalsa, otherwise first learn how to Listen properly to our Guruji and stand firm on our actions and thoughts. Then we will be able to give our head to guruji.
I see sikh stage as admission to school and then graduating with a degree is Khalsa.
When we begin university we are just students(sikhs) then after studying years depending upon the field we graduate and become engineers or lawyers . Now it is upto us that do we want to be students all our lives or do we really want to graduate?
thanks annonymous! I didn’t really mention 5Ks because that is a given fact for true Gursikhs.
“do you think there should be an age limit for Amrit Shakna?”
No. Guru Harkrishan became Guru at the age of five. Guru Amar Das became Guru at the age of 73. Who can judge another’s consciousness? Guru’s Amrit is between the Guru and his Khalsa.
…..G
The Bana given to us by Guru Gobind Singh identifies us in our spiritual and temporal form as unified beings – divinely unique and gracefully powerful. Bana includes: Kurta, Churidas, Cumberbund and Turban, and, of course, our five kakkar. It is hard to wear bana in Western society, but in my experience it always produces positive effects in all who see us.
Please note, I do not always wear bana myself. Usually I do, but not all the time.
…..G
Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Ji ki Fethe.
Thanks very much for another very informative video Khalsa ji. It was really interesting to hear the scientific explanation to why we retain hair. Being a scientist myself I have always been convinced that everything we do has a reason behind it. It was really nice to hear from another individual’s prospective. However, I would like to ask Guruka Singh ji a question about a statement which I personally thought was a bit contradictory in the video. It’s about beard and moustache. It was very interesting to hear about the Lunar nerve and the Moon’s energy (which is feminine), so, men retain beard and it acts as an insulator which protects the men from the energy that is radiating from the moon (I hope I got this point right). However, my argument is that, if the hair on the face acts as an insulator then why is it that the hair on the head acts opposite?
For example, the hair on the head absorbs the radiation from the Sun (the Sun energy). In theory, the beard should enhance the absorption of the energy from the Sun as well as the Moon (i.e the radiation that is emitted from these two sources).
Sorry if I the ‘das’ have misinterpreted any information. Das here is not trying to stir an egoistic conversation but I am just a bit curious.
Best Wishes,
Satwindar Singh Bajwa (Sunny)
Briefly:
when we obtain EKG of the heart, all of the leads look the same but some of them are negative and positive leads which are attached to the chest. And some of the leads are ground.Therefore by placing leads on the chest at different places gives us the image how the heart is functioning.
the energy flow has to be from positive to negative.
therefore, if hair on the head and beard look the same but may have different function.
This post has been removed by the author.
“if the hair on the face acts as an insulator then why is it that the hair on the head acts opposite?”
Satwindar Singh – “anonymous” got it right. The energy flows in opposite directions at the top of the head and the chin. Just so with the left hand & right hand, left nostril & right nostril, etc. The electromagnetic field has a north pole and south pole, so to speak. Positive and negative.
Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Ji ki Fethe.
Thanks anonymous and Guruka ji. Anonymous gave an example of ECG leads which are made up of different electrodes though they look they same due to the covering. However, the composition of hair all over the body is same i.e building blocks of amino acids, better known as keratin (to be precise, it’s found all over the body). Now Guruka ji, I believe I am being a big trouble here lol, however, may I ask, scientifically speaking how does hair on one part of the body have a different function then the other when the hair have same composition?
Best Wishes
Satwindar Singh
Answered above.
Ever notice the pattern of how the hairs grow in the armpits? The hair follows the lines of the lines of force in the electromagnetic field where the torso and the arm meet. It acts as a buffer there (where there is a concentration of lymph nodes.)
…..G
It is true that hair is made up of protein called keratin. But some hairs are thicker some body parts. The point is not about composition of hair such as does it differ in protein composition or structurally. Even that’s not important.
Since we have constant electrical current flow through our body it could be from the brain in different frequencies, heart and as well as nervous system. Hair at different parts of the body may play important and different roles ( yes not proven yet) in the electromagnetic radiation. One part may act as a conductor where as the other may play role as insulator.
Now, it is true that nothing has been scientifically proven, but remember that scientists never believed the existence of bacteria and viruses. Even they had doubts about other universes and galaxies.
Thanx anonymous and G.
Best wishes..
Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa,
Waheguru Ji ki Fateh,
Loved this interview and keep up the good work by introducing more Sikhs of worldwide community.
Thats very interesting, but could you please tell me where in Sikh history/bani does it take about this stuff. I don’t think the gurus even gave these kind of explanations and I doubt they talked too much about hair. I could be wrong. I just think that you are giving scientic reasons that are trying to justify hair that are not mentioned in Sikhism.