Vaisakhi is the first day of the Indian month of Vaisakh (13th April) Vaisakhi signals the end of the winter season and heralds the onset of the harvesting season. It is celebrated by Punjabis & Sikhs all over the world. This year the Khalsa celebrates its 292nd birthday.
The evolution of this celebration must have been an innocent reaction of man at the sight of his crops and golden grains nurtured through innumerable rigors vagaries & uncertainties of nature and come up as a tribute and a special festive thanksgiving to God. Sikhs have been one of the first and foremost communities that have taken a lead associated with farming and have achieved wonderful success through their sincere hardworking dedicated and tireless approach all over the world. So this day becomes a proud moment for us all to acknowledge and rejoice the achievements of our brothers.
Going by the Vedas the ancient books of the Hindus which refer to the dos & don’ts of their community this day marks the occasion of special prayers & Vedic hymns at the banks of Holy rivers like Ganges to please God and pray for prosperity in the New Year that incidentally starts on this day.
This also marks the anniversary of the Jallianwalla Bagh tragedy when hundreds of peaceful protesters attending a public meeting were killed on the orders of a British General Gen. Dyer in Amritsar in 1919 on this day. This was a major comer stone in the Indian Independence struggle.
For Sikhs this day stands as the most important day in their history. It was in year 1699 on this day that Gobind Rai the tenth Guru of the Sikhs son of Guru Tegh Bhadur instilled in Sikhs a new force a new confidence a new enlightenment anew kind of self-reliance a new will to fight oppression cruelty a new approach to attain self-respect glory a new direction to help and devote oneself in the prosperity and uplifting of their brothers a new irresistible urge to lead be brave and courageous an unending respect for all religions humanity and woman folk with theme of universal brotherhood where people from all religions were welcome. The Guru advised his Sikhs to be ever merciful. The Guru baptized his Sikhs and turned them into Singh’s meaning ‘Lions’.
Guru Gobind Singh the founder of Khalsa was born in 1666 A.D. in Patna India. It was the time when the Mughal Emperor Auranghzeb was ruling the throne of Delhi. The mighty Mughal was ruthless cruel and followed a religious crusade against non-Muslim’s. Hindus & non-Muslim’s were forcibly converted into Islam by Auranghzeb Guru Gobind Singh was 9 years old when a group of Kashmiri Brahmans came to his father Guru Tegh Bhadur and told him tales of the kind of repression let loose by Aurangzeb. At this Guru Tegh Bhadur remarked that the situation demanded a sacrifice from a pious man. Guru Gobind Singh a small boy at the time said to his father “Who else could be greater than you father for this challenge.” It was then that Guru Tegh Bhadur asked the Brahmans to go & tell the Emperor that if he is able to convert Tegh Bhadur into Islam all of them would embrace Islam It was in 1675 that Guru Tegh Bhadur laid down his life in Chandni Chowk New Delhi in 1675 when he refused to obey the murderous Emperor.
No one around dared to oppose the emperor. It was this incident that made a big impact on Guru Gobind Singh. He could sense the fear & terror in the minds of the people. The dye was set in the Guru’s mind. He mediated and prayed for some time. The Guru was finally convinced that under those circumstances it was difficult for the Sikhs & all other religions to practice & preach their respective religions. So he decided that he would create a special class of Sikhs who would be distinguished unique even in millions and each powerful and brave enough to fight and keep hundreds of thousands at bay. He decided to call them Singh’s (Lions). He compared each of his Singh to be as powerful as 125000 Mughal soldiers.
So the preparation against the tyrannical Moghal Emperor started The Guru considering Anandpur Sahib was comparatively unsafe from the Mughals retrieved to a comparatively secluded hilly area of Nahan at Paonta Sahib where he built a small fort. Here with the Yamuna flowing close by the Guru started preparations at a war footing. He carried out his literary persuits & religious education. He prescribed strict religious and moral code for his Sikhs.
After preparing his disciples for the supreme act Guru Gobind Singh called a big congregation at Anandpur Sahib on 13th April 1699 and asked them to come without shaving or cutting their hair. Lots of Sikhs gathered at the behest of the Guru to hear him. The Guru started addressing the congregation All of a sudden he drew his sword and demanded “Is there any one here who would sacrifice his life for the cause of religion? My sword is thirsty for blood. “All the people were stunned. It was like a big surprise for them to hear those words from the Guru. It was followed by a scary silence. No one came forward The Guru repeated his words the second time his eyes red looking more furious and deadly. Again he repeated in a thunderous voice at this a Khatri Daya Ram from Lahore walked on to the stage to the Guru.
The Guru took him inside that he had enacted There was a stunning silence following that. Then suddenly everybody heard a vicious blow of a sword. Soon out came a pool of blood from under the tent. The Guru walked out of the tent with blood dripping from the sword. A chill went down the spines of all around. Again the Guru waving his sword demanded another sacrifice There was extreme reluctance among all around. This time a Dharam Dass a Jat from Delhi came forward. The Guru took him inside Again people heard the blow of the sword & saw a fresh pool of blood flowing out. There was panic all over the place. Again the Guru came out & asked for another Sikhs blood. This time Mekkhan Chand a ‘Dhobi’ was her man from Dewarka offered himself for the sacrifice By this time people were very terrified & many of the cowards in the gathering had already fled. There was a word in the gathering that the Guru had gone crazy. Again the Guru came out the 4th time and this time Sahib Chand a barber from Bidar came forward & offered himself. The Guru took him inside and the same blow was heard. The Guru came out the 5th time & asked for another sacrifice. This time Himmat Rai a ‘Jheer’ waterman from Jagannath came forward and offered himself. The same thing happened again.
Soon afterwards the Guru came out of the tent with all the five Sikhs who had put their whole faith and trust in him and offered for the sacrifice He presented them to the audience. What the Guru had done was that he had sacrificed five goats in place of the five Sikhs he took inside the tent. He baptized the five Sikhs with ‘Pahul’ or ‘Amrit’ or sweet nectar He himself prepared this nectar for his five Sikhs by dissolving water and sugar canes an iron vessel with a double edged sword amidst recitation of Holy Prayers and Guru’s own special Prayer an invocation to God called ‘Jap Sahib’. After administering it to them he called them as Singh’s (Lions) and his Panj Pyaras (five beloved ones). The five Sikhs were known as Daya Singh Dharam Singh MokKam Singh Sahib Singh & Himmat Singh. Then the Guru asked his Panj Pyaras to prepare ‘Pahul’ for him and baptize him. Gobind rai changed into Gobind Singh. The Guru called his five Singhs Khalsa. Further he said that the Sikhs should bow to the decisions of the Khalsa and that the Khalsa is Supreme & undefeatable. So the Khalsa was born.
The Guru advised his beloved ones to wear a special uniform. Turban for men & Chunni for women are considered as an ornament of respect in the Sikh religion. In some Pathan communities some lower castes even today are not all that. Guru called on all irrespective of their castes to wear turbans. During Aurangzeb only Muslim nobles were allowed nature. During that time non-Muslims were not allowed to carry weapons. The Sikhs were asked — to wear swords as an in separable part of their attire A set of iron bangle was worn by Sikh warriors from wrist to the shoulders & was used as a shield to protect them from sword blows during one to one fight. Thus the Guru openly defied Aurangzeb & continued to frustrate him.
The five ‘Ks’ worn by the Sikhs have a definite significance attached to each. Kesh the hair stand for spirituality originality and a belief in God & nature. Kangha the comb stands for order and discipline of mind soul & actions. Kirpan Curved sword stands for dignity courage self-sacrifice mercy and honor Kara Iron bangle stands for protection responsibility of Mankind & concept of unity with God Kacha Shorts stand for modesty & symbolize moral restraints.
Vaisakhi is celebrated all over the world with great fanfare among the Sikhs. Milling crowds converge at the various fairs that are held in Punjab on this day. People enjoy themselves by dressing themselves in colorful clothes and dance to the tune of beating drums. The popular Punjabi Fold Dance Bhangra sends one spinning amidst beating drums and cheering crowds.
The Khalsa has a reason to be proud of as the most recent sophisticated religion which has the most prized and valuable to ten ants & the most courageous valiant hardworking people who have never let go even a single Opportunity to prove their mettle & worth.
Dr. Paramvir Sahota
Stockton CA:
Article extracted from this publication >> April 12, 1991
