In Sikhism, kesh (sometimes kes) (Gurmukhi: ਕੇਸ) is the practice of allowing one's hair to grow naturally out of respect for the perfection of God's creation. The practice is one of
The Five Kakaars, the outward symbols ordered by
Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as a means to profess the
Sikh faith. The hair is combed twice daily with a
kanga, another of the five Ks, and tied into a simple knot known as a
joora or
rishi knot. This knot of hair is usually held in place with the kanga and covered by a
turban.
The 52 commands of Guru Gobind Singh written at
Hazur Sahib at
Nanded in the state of
Maharashtra, mention that the kesh (hair) should be revered as the form of the Satguru (eternal guru) whom they consider as the same as god. For this reason by practitioners they are kept with the utmost respect. This includes regular maintenance of hair which includes but is not limited to combing at least twice daily, washing regularly and not allowing for public touching.
Etymology[edit]
In Sanskrit, kesh comes from k, meaning head, and esh, meaning master/supreme, meaning the pinnacle or supreme portion of the head. This matches with Santokh Singh's
Suraj Prakash which states,
ਰਚ੍ਯੋ ਸੁ ਈਸ਼ੁਰ ਮਾਨੁਖ ਦੇਹ ॥ ਕਰ੍ਯੋ ਸੁਭਾਇਮਾਨ ਛਬਿ ਗ੍ਰੇਹ ॥
The body is created by Eshvar [The Lord], He has created humans beautiful and respectful.
ਉੱਤਮਾਂਗ ਪਰ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਕਰੇ ॥ ਅਧਿਕ ਰੂਪ ਕੇਸ਼ਨ ਤੇ ਧਰੇ ॥40॥
Out of all parts of the body, the head is the highest, and adorning Kesh [unshorn hair] on top of one's head the body becomes beautiful.
[1]
The
Mahan Kosh also states, kesh is "the hair on the head". Avatar Singh Vahiria's Khalsa Dharam Shastar (1914), agrees with this stating, "Kesh means the hair on the head and also the beard and mustache."
[2]
Significance[edit]
Painting of Maharaja
Sher Singh after a bath with his hair down
Kesh is a symbol of devotion to God, reminding Sikhs that they should obey the will of God.
Bhai Nand Lal, who was a well-respected poet in the court of the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, wrote in
Persian:
[3]
Nishān-e-Sikhī ast īn Panj harf-e kāf,
Hargiz na bāshad azīn panj muāf,
Kara, Karad, Kacha, Kanga bidān,
Bina kesh hēch ast jumla nishān.
[These five letters of K are emblems of Sikhism.
These five are most incumbent;
Steel bangle, big knife, shorts and a comb;
Without unshorn hair the other four are of no significance.]
By not cutting it, Sikhs honour God's gift of hair
[4] Kesh combined with the combing of hair using a kangha shows respect for God and all of his gifts.
Bhai Desa Singh, a Sikh from the mid 18th century, writes that:
Just like a bird without wings, or like a sheep without wool
Or like a woman without clothes, such is a man without kesh.
When a man adorns Kesh only then does he have full form.
Desa Singh instructs in his Code of Conduct, Rehatnama, text that Singh should wash their Kesh with yogurt every two weeks and then cleanse and infuse it with perfume.
[5]
Bhai Daya Singh Rehatnama states that the Kesh as a symbol was given to the Khalsa by
Durga at the 1699
Amrit Sanskar, implying the adorning of the kesh as her symbol.
[6]
Kesh was such an important symbol of identity that during the persecution of Sikhs under the
Mughal Empire, followers were willing to face death rather than shave or cut their hair to disguise themselves. The symbol of long hair for Sikhs was the stamp or insignia of the Guru.