CODE
OF CONDUCT
Sikh
Reht Maryada
Initiation
-- Amrit Sanskar (Ceremony of Khande di
Pahul)
a.
|
Ceremony
of Khande di Pahul (Amrit Sanskar)
should be held at an exclusive place
away from common human traffic.
.. |
b. |
At the place where the ceremony
is to be administered, the holy
Guru Granth Sahib should be installed
and ceremonially opened. Also present
should be six committed Amritdhari
Sikhs, one of whom should sit in
attendance of the Guru Granth Sahib
and the other five should be there
to administer the Khande di Pahul.
These six may even include Sikh
women. All of them must have taken
bath and washed their hair.
.. |
c.
|
The
five beloved (Panj Piyare) ones
who administer Khande di Pahul should
not include a disabled person, such
as a person who is blind or blind
in one eye, lame, one with a broken
or disabled limb, or one suffering
from some chronic disease. The number
should not include anyone who has
committed a breach of the Sikh discipline
and principles. All of them should
be committed Amritdhari Sikhs with
appealing personalities.
.. |
d.
|
Any
man or woman of any country, religion
or caste who embraces Sikhism and
solemnly undertakes to abide by
its principles is entitled to Khande
di Pahul(Amrit).
The person to be Amritdhari , should
not be of very young age; he or
she should have attained a plausible
degree of discretion. The person
to be Amritdhari must have taken
bath and washed the hair and must
wear all five K's- Kesh (unshorn
hair), strapped Kirpan (sword),.
Kachhehra (prescribed shorts), Kanga
(Comb tucked in the tied up hair),
Karha (Steel bracelet). He/she must
not have on his/her person any token
of any other faith. He/she must
not have his/her head bare or be
wearing a cap. He/she must not be
wearing any ornaments piercing through
any part of the body. The persons
to be Amritdhari must stand respectfully
with hands folded facing the Guru
Granth Sahib.
.. |
e. |
Anyone seeking Khande di Pahul again,
having committed an aberration,
should be singled out and the five
beloved ones should award chastisement
to hinilber in the presence of the
congregation.
.. |
f.
|
One
from amongst the five beloved ones
administerning Khande di Pahul to
persons seeking to be Amritdhari
should explain the principles of
the Sikh religion to them:
The Sikh religion advocates the
renunciation of the worship of any
created thing, and rendering of
worship and loving devotion to,
and meditating on, the One Supreme
Creator. For the fulfilment of such
devotion and meditation, reflection
on the contents of Gurbani and practising
of its tenets, participation in
the congregational services, rendering
service to the Panth, benevolent
exertion (to promote the good of
others), love of God's name (loving
reflection on and experience of
the Divine), living within the Sikh
discipline after getting Amrit etc.
are the principal means.
He should conclude his exposition
of the principles of Sikh religion
with the query : Do you accept these
willingly?
.. |
g.
|
On
an affirmative response from the
seekers of Khande di Pahul, one
from amongst the five beloved ones
should perform the Ardas for the
preparation of Khande di Pahul and
take the holy Hukam (command) The
five beloved ones should come close
to the bowl for preparing the Khande
di Pahul.
.. |
h. |
The bowl should be of pure steel
and it should be placed on a clean
steel ring or other clean support.
.. |
i.
|
Clean
water and sugar puffs should be
put in the bowl and the five beloved
ones should sit around it in bir
posture(Bir Assan) and recite the
undermentioned scriptural compositions.
.. |
j.
|
The
scriptural composition to be recited
are : The Japuji, The Jaap, The
Ten Sawayyas (commencing with Sarawag
Sud), The Bainti Chaupai (From "hamri
karo hath dai rachha" to "dusht
dokh te leho te bachai") and Anand
Sahib.
.. |
k. |
Each of the five beloved ones who
recites the scripture should hold
the edge of the bowl with his left
hand and keep stirring the water
with a (Khanda) double-edged sword
held in his right hand. He should
do that with full concentration.
The rest of the beloved ones should
keep gripping the edge of the bowl
with both hands concentrating their
full attention on the Khande di
Pahul.
.. |
l.
|
After
the conclusion of the recitation,
one from amongst the beloved ones
should perform the Ardas.
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m.
|
Only
that person seeking Amrit who has
participated in the entire ceremony
of Amrit Sanchar can be Amritdhari.
One who has turned up while the
ceremony was in progress cannot
be given Khande di Pahul.
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n. |
After the Ardas as thinking of our
Father, the Tenth Nanak Guru Gobind
Singh Sahib, the wearer of the aigrette,
every person seeking to be Amritdhari
should sit in Bir Assan , putting
his/her right hand cupped on the
left cupped hand and be made to
drink the Amrit five times, as the
beloved one who pours the mix into
his cupped hand exclaims : say,
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru
ji ki Fateh! (The Khalsa is of the
Wondrous Destroyer of darkness;
victory, too, is His!) The person
being Amritdhari should after imbibing
the Amrit, repeat : Waheguru ji
ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh.
Then five handfuls of the Amrit
should he sprinkled into the eyes
of the person being Amrit and another
five into his hair. Each such sprinkling
should be accompanied by the beloved
one administering Amrit saying,
"Waheguru ji ka Khalsa Waheguru
ji ki Fateh", and the person getting
Amrit repeating the chant. Whatever
Amrit is left over after the administration
of the Khande di Pahul (Amrit) to
all individual seekers, should be
sipped by all (men and women) Amritdharies,
together.
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o.
|
After
this the five beloved ones, all
together in chorus communicating
the name of Waheguru to all who
have been administered the Khande
di Pahul, recite to them the Mul
Mantar and make them repeat it aloud
: Ik aunkar satnam karta purakh
nirbhau nirwair akal murat ajuni
saibhang gur prasad..
..
|
p.
|
After
this, one from amongst the five
beloved ones should explain to the
initiates the discipline of the
order :
* Today you are reborn in the true
Guru's household, ending the cycle
of migration, and joined the Khalsa
Panth (order).
* Your spiritual father is now Guru
Gobind Singh Sahib and the spiritual
mother, Mata Sahib Kaur ji.
* Your place of birth is Kesgarh
Sahib and your native place is Anandpur
Sahib.
* You, being the sons of one father,
are, inter-se yourselves and other
Amritdhari Sikhs, spiritual brothers.
* You have become the pure Khalsa,
having renounced your previous lineage,
professional background, calling
(occupation), beliefs, that is,
having given up all connections
with your caste, descent, birth,
country, religion, etc..
* You are to worship none except
the One Timeless Being (Waheguru)
no god, goddess, incarnation or
prophet.
* You are not to think of anyone
except the Ten Gurus and anything
except their gospel as your saviour.
* You are supposed to know Gurmukhi
(Punjabi alphabet). (If you do not,
you must learn it).
* And recite, or listen in to the
recitation of, the under mentioned
scriptural compositions, the daily
repetition of which is ordained,
every day : (1) The Japuji Sahib,
(2) The Jaap Sahib, (3) The Ten
Sawayyas (Quartrains), beginning
"sarawag sudh", (4) The Sodar Rahiras
and (5) The Sohila. Besides,
you should read from or listen in
to the recitation from the Guru
Granth Sahib.
Have, on your person, all the
time, the five K's :
I. The Keshas (unshorn hair),
II. The Kirpan {sheathed
sword} (The length of the sword
to be worn is not prescribed.,
III. The Kachhehra (The Kachhehra
(drawers like garment) may be made
from any cloth, but its legs should
not reach down to below the shins.),
IV. The Kanga (comb),
V. The Karha {steel bracelet}
(The Karha should be of pure steel.)
The undermentioned four transgressions
(tabooed practices) must be avoided:
1. Dishonouring the hair;
2. Eating the meat of an
animal slaughtered the Muslim way;
3. Cohabiting with a person
other than one's spouse;
4. Using tobacco.
In the event of the commission of
any of these transgressions, the
transgressor must get Amrit again.
If a transgression is committed
unintentionally and unknowingly,
the transgressor shall not be liable
to punishment. You must not associate
with a Sikh who had uncut hair earlier
and has cut it or a Sikh who smokes.
You must ever be ready for the service
of the Panth and of the Gurdwaras
(Sikh places of worship). You must
tender one tenth (Daswand) of your
earnings to the Guru. In short,
you must act the Guru's way in all
spheres of activity.You must remain
fully aligned to the Khalsa brotherhood
in accordance with the principles
of the Khalsa faith. If you commit
transgression of the Khalsa discipline,
you must present yourself before
the congregation and beg pardon,
accepting whatever punishment is
awarded. You must also resolve to
remain watchful against defaults
in the future.
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q. |
The following individuals shall
be liable to chastisement involving
automatic boycott:
1. Anyone maintaining relations
or communion with elements antagonistic
to the Panth including the minas
(reprobates), the masands (agents
once accredited to local Sikh communities
as Guru's representatives, since
discredited for their faults and
aberrations), followers of Dhirmal
or Ram Rai, et. al., or users of
tobacco or killers of female infants
2. One who eats/drinks Left-overs
of the non-Amritdhari or the fallen
Sikhs;
3. One who dyes his beard;
4. One who gives off son or daughter
in matrimony for a price or reward;
5. Users of intoxicants (hemp, opium,
liquor, narcotics, cocaine, etc.);
6. One holding, or being a party
to, ceremonies or practices contrary
to the Guru's way;
7. One who defaults in the maintenance
of Sikh discipline.
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r.
|
After
this sermon, one from among the
five beloved ones should perform
the Ardas.
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s. |
Thereafter, the Sikh sitting in
attendance of the Guru Granth Sahib
should take the Hukam. If anyone
from amongst those who have received
the Khande di Pahul had not earlier
been named in accordance with the
Sikh Naming Ceremony, he should
renounce his previous name and be
given a new name beginning with
first letter of the Hukam now taken.
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t.
|
And
finally, the Karhah Prashad should
be distributed. All the newly launched
Sikh men and women should eat the
Karhah Prashad together off the
same bowl.
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