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I
Need a Head
The
day dawned clear and bright for the Baisakhi celebration of 1699. The Sikhs were
in a festive mood because Guru Gobind Rai had proclaimed that all should come
together at Anandpur Sahib.
The crowds gathered in anticipation in front of the Guru's tent. They expected
to hear a stirring speech. No one was prepared for the sight of the Guru when he
did appear. He was dressed in his royal blue uniform with his arms girded about
him; his eyes were so intense that no one dared to look at him. He drew his
sword and shouted, "I need a head!" People could not believe their
ears. The Guru wanted to kill one of his beloved Sikhs? Again the cry rang out,
and again. Many people ran away in fear and horror. But one man, Daya Ram, rose
and said, "O beloved Guru, my head has always been yours." The Guru
took him into the tent and came out with a sword dripping with blood. Again he
asked for a head. Dharm Das came up and said, "Take my head, O dear
one." Once again, the Guru took him into his tent and emerged with a
dripping sword. For the third time, he asked the question. Mokum Chand bowed
before his Master. The Sikhs began to think that he was going to kill them all.
Two more times the call went out, and two more devoted Sikhs, Himmat and Sahib
Chand, stepped forward to fill the void. The Guru then went into the tent
himself.
Suddenly, the Guru and the five appeared, as if from the dead. He had dressed
them and himself in beautiful golden clothes so that they shone like the sun. To
them he said, "You and I are one and the same." The Guru sat the five
near him and said, "Guru Nanak had only one devoted Sikh, Angad. In my time
there are five Sikhs who are totally devoted to the Guru. They shall lay the
foundation for the new Sikh faith." The gathering cheered the five for
their courage. The Guru then said, "From this day on the Khalsa, the Pure
Ones, will be baptized by the Amrit. They shall become Singhs and Kaurs."
The Guru began stirring water in a steel bowl with his dagger while reciting the
banis. When he had finished, two sparrows sipped some of the water and rose up
into the air, fighting so fiercely that they killed each other. The Guru's wife,
Mata Sahib Devan, was hurriedly brought to the scene by some bystanders. She put
some sweets into the holy water so that those who drank it would be both strong
and kind. The Guru honored her by making her the Mother of the Khalsa.
The Guru gave the Amrit to the five in much the same manner as it is given
today. He laid down the rehit: to wear the five K's, help the poor, be faithful
to one's spouse, work by honest labor, keep a healthy body, keep long hair, give
one tenth of one's earnings to the Guru, and rise early and praise God's Name.
When he had given them the Amrit, he asked them to give it to him. They were
amazed at this request. The Guru said, "The Khalsa is the Guru, and the
Guru is the Khalsa. There is no difference between you and me. I have now seated
you on the Guru's throne." They then baptized him as he had them, with the
same ceremony and vows. He called the five Sikhs his "Panj Piare", or
five beloved ones, and thereafter called himself Guru Gobind Singh.
Source:
sikhnet.com
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