The
importance of Kara (Steel Bangle) in sikh philosophy & practice
It was customary in
India (and still is) for the sister to put a "Rakhi"*
on the wrist of her brother signifying her affection and her dependence
on her brother in times of danger.
*Rakhi, a multi-coloured and richly decorated woollen flower,
which is tied round the wrist of a brother by the sister. Usually
brothers reciprocate this gesture by pledging not only physical
protection to their sisters in the times of danger but also monetary
gifts. The festival falls in August every year.
The brother would
prepared to sacrifice his own life and to save the honour of the
country and that of his sister from invaders and tyrants. The
ceremony usually took place at the time of the brother's departure
for adventure or for a campaign. This implied that the females
were weaker than the males and that they had to be protected by
the males. When Guru Gobind Singh baptised his Sikhs (1699) he
discontinued this practice among Sikhs (male or female) to wear
a steel bangle (Kara) instead of a 'woollen Rakhi.' The idea was
that all males and females are not only equal but also strong
enough to defend themselves. All the Guru's followers, irrespective
of sex, were trained to fight in self-defence and to help the
oppressed. Thus this steel bangle, unlike the woollen Rakhi, became
the symbol of freedom and equality of the sexes, and the Sikh
women no only derived courage, but also shared the national struggle
with their brothers. The Guru's idea of making his female followers
brave, fearless and courageous was demonstrated by several Sikh
women. Mai Bhago, Dharam Kaur and Sahib Kaur were some of those,
who not only fought shoulder to shoulder with their brothers,
but also commanded the Sikh platoons. The Kara thus led to a great
awakening in Society and boosted the morale o f Sikh men and especially
women, who no longer remained weak (Abla) but became as brave
as lions (Singh).
Leaving aside the
historical background of the bangle, let us now consider the philosophical
and psychological interpretation of this symbol. It is circular
in shape. The circle is one of the most important and oldest of
symbols. It is known as 'Mandala,' a word borrowed from Sanskrit.
The psychologists consider the Mandala to be one of the most important
Arch-types which shape our conscious and unconscious behaviour.
Philosophically it is highly significant. It is a symbol of strength
and integrity, a symbol of obedience, equality, oneness, universality
and eternity.
Structural engineers
know that the round shape is the best shape for strength, as it
distributes a blow of strain. They increase the strength of the
weak part by corrugating it. The roundness of the skull shows
nature's ingenuity in protecting our brain, the most important
organ of our body. A round object, if it is weak, cannot keep
its roundness when subjected to strain. For example, the wheels
of a car remain round to the degree to which they are strong and
inflated. Any wheel weaker or short of air will lose its roundness.
As long as it is round it continues to bear the strain and pressure.
No wonder most of the Sikhs when subjected to torture and coercion
maintained their integrity of character. Bhai Taru Singh happily
preferred the removal of his skull to the removal of his Keshas
(hair), Bhai Mani Singh happily bore the torture of being but
to pieces joint by joint. Baba Banda Bahader's flesh was pulled
off from his living body with hot pincers but he did not renounce
his faith.
In mathematics the
round symbol is called Zero (0) which is again significant. Divide
a number by zero: (X/0=infinity) and it becomes infinity. That
is, the Mandala can raise a small quantity to infinity. In the
above example, the value of X, whether it is big or small, is
immaterial as long as it is being raised by the 'Mandala'. Thus
the wearer of the steel bangle should never worry whether he is
great or small, what he should be careful of is that he should
be supported by the attributes of the 'Mandala', his zeroness,
and his humble nature. This attribute is further illustrated by
the mathematical fact X^0=1. When the power of a number is regarded
as zero (0) it becomes one. That is, when a Sikh combs his hair
in the morning and in the evening, he raises his right arm above
his head and the bangle goes about his head. His power is symbolically
raised to zero (0), or in common words, he says, "O Almighty
God, Wonderful Lord (Wahe Guru) you are omnipotent, I am nothing,
I am puny, I am zero, and his value become one. Who is only one?
Who has no rival? None but God!" So, he loses himself or
his ego and thus enjoys the elixir of 'Name,' and becomes one
with God- a way to unite him with God. Once again the tying of
a turban round the head symbolise the same effect. The bangle
is called 'Kara' and another associated word is 'Kari,' which
means link, so it is a symbolic way of linking with God.
'Kara' also means
strict and the associated word 'Kari' also means handcuff (Hath
Kari). Looked at from this angle, the bangle on the right hand
shows one's discipline. That is, one is not free to do anything
one likes, but one has to remain under some wholesome restrictions.
Like a true Christian one says, "Under wholesome restrictions
I find perfect freedom." This sounds a bit paradoxical, but
so is most wisdom paradoxical. It is steering between two dangers
that is why the master sprinkled the elixir (Amrit) into the eyes
of his followers, so that the Khalsa (True Followers) are enabled
to receive the divine vision. A person is free to the degree to
which he is responsible. An irresponsible person would find himself
in trouble sooner or later. He cannot remain free and escape the
law of a responsible society. For example, a careful and responsible
driver who obeys the set rules driver, who does not obey rules
or who does not know the rules, or who is a learner, is always
under a strain and cannot drive freely. In Islam 'Musalman' means
a person who submits himself to the will of God. Thus the bangle
on the right wrist of a Sikh enables him to have the good qualities
of a true Christian, a holy Muslim and a pure Sikh (Khalsa) merged
into one. What a wonderful gift from our unfathomable Master,
Guru Gobind Singh!
Some of the Sikhs
give a wrong meaning to the Verse "SATGUR SIKH KE BANDHAN
KATE" (The master frees his disciple from restrictions) and
hold that we should not have any restrictions. The master does
it, he makes his follower free from bondage but by making him
responsible. They forget the Verse "BANDE SO JO PAWE VICH
BANDI" (True Humans are those who accept discipline).
Thus to free us from bonds or temptations, we must accept responsibilities
or wholesome restrictions. Thus, the bangle demands that the wearer
should surrender unconditionally to the Almighty. Even in the
Highway Code, the triangles warn, rectangles inform but circles
command. Thus the master demands from us responsibilities.
Let us discuss another
property of the circle. That is the constancy of it radius which
is the distance of any point on the circumference from the centre.
It reminds us of the equality of mankind and speaks against any
kind of discrimination, of colour, creed, caste, class or religion
etc. A true Sikh wearing a bangle will keep in his mind that all
human beings are equal inn God's court, as they are all children
of God. It enables him to transcend all the divisions which separate
man from man and makes hatred, jealousy and prejudice, etc., or
in other words, it blesses him with unbiased and scientific outlook.
My dear wearer of the bangle! Remember all people are at an equal
distance from God wherever the stand in the world. Our master
would never bless a person who generates hatred on the basis of
caste, colour creed, nationality or any other distinction. "The
father is one and we are all children of one father." (EK
PITA EKAS KE HAM BARAK.)
Furthermore, the circumference of a circle shows its continuity
as it has no starting or ending point. The never-ending natural
processes work in a cycle of carbondioxide and oxygen, the water
cycle, the nitrogen cycle, etc. Thus it brings the wearer of the
bangle into contact with Eternity and it reminds him of the infinity
of his master. It gives him boundless self-confidence. The collar
around a dog's neck reminds the public that he belongs to somebody
who is responsible for him. They dare not maltreat him, particularly
if the master is strong and is likely to remain strong in the
future. What about the dog whose master is infinite, omnipotent
and unfathomable? A person who wears Guru Gobind Singh's collar
is really great because his master is great.
The `Mandala' (The
Circle) appears on the Olympic flag as well, representing the
unity of mankind and that of the five continents. Olympic Games
themselves represent sportsmanship and struggle for its own sake.
The Olympic Motto is `Participation is more important than winning.
The bangle reminds
a Sikh that 'struggle' is the meaning of Life victory or defeat
is in the hands of God.' It reminds a Sikh of whit Guru Nanak
said, `He is the doer of everything, man is powerless (KARE KARAI
APE AP, MANAS KE KICHH NAHI HATH.) The wearer of a bangle is constantly
reminded of this philosophy. How happy is the person who leaves
the fruit of his labor in God's hands! He would never grumble.
Let us consider everyday life in the machine age. If we eliminate
the wheels from machines, the whole edifice of modern civilisation
would tumble down like a house of cards. In other words. The progress
of man depends upon this circle. No wonder that some people attribute
the meaning of progress to the 'Mandala.' Even the Indian National
flag displays the same symbol (Ashoka-chakra) on it, hoping that
the prosperity of the nation will be perpetual.
How great is Guru
Gobind Sing who has placed the symbol of prosperity into the hands
of the Sikhs! No wonder the Sikhs are the most enterprising community
in India and perhaps abroad. Forming only 1.2 percent of India's
population their services in industry, contribution they make
is larger than their numbers warrant. They have a marvelously
inspiring history.
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