Lehal Library

From the Pacifist Sikh to the Militant Khalsa 83 the ancient faith which had descended to them from their ancestors. Thus, though several refused to accept the Guru's religion, about twenty thousand men stood up and promised to obey him, as they had the fullest faith in his divine mission.• The turbulent period that followed this baptismal ceremony did not give the Guru much time to explain the significance of the symbolslNl he made obligatory for his followers.21 But they are not very difficult to understand. The chief symbol was the wearing of the hair and beard unshorn. This bad been customary among ascetics in lndia from time immemorial. There is reason to believe that all the gurus after Nanak and many of their disciples had abstained from cutting their hair. (The injunction did not surprise the Sikhs, since it was not really an innovation.) By making it obligatory for his fo1lowers, Gobind intended to raise an army of soldier-saints who would wield arms only in a righteous cause, as would saints if they were so compe1led. The other emblems were complementary to this one and the profession of soldiering.22 A more important question than the significance of the new forms was: did Gobind mean to change the faith of Nanak? Yes, and no. In its essential beliefs Gobind introduced no change. His Sikhism was that of Nanak, believing in the One Supreme Creator who was without form or substance and beyond human 20 They have been dealt with in various rahalniimas (codes of conduct) by writers who were contemporaries of the Guru. The beLter known rahatnamas are ofNand Lal 'Goya, Desa Singh, Chaupa Singh, and Prahlad Singh. These authors are, however, not precise on the subject, nor wholly in agreement with each other. Present-day lheologians are also somewhat noncommittal in explaining the exact significance of Lhe symbols. 21 There is little doubt that he did proclaim Lhese rules; only their symbolism was left unexplained. The Suraj Prakai, which does embody the tradition handed down, supports this view (iii, 21). 22 The Jw.rii is the most difficult to explain. It was apparently an adaptation of the Hindu custom of tying charms on the wrists of warriors before they went to battle. (The cuSLom sunives Lo this day, with sisters eying coloured strings on the hands of their brothers on the festival ofRaksa Bandhan.) The steel bracelet had its practical use in guarding Lhe vulnerable portion of the right hand which ¥.ielded the kirpiin, the left hand being protected by the shield.