THE FIVE K’S
There's more to the Bana than wearing a turban and dressing modestly. A Sikh is supposed to always keep with them these five "objects" as a symbol of devotion—but there's also a technology behind it.
Lately I’ve been sharing more about my choice of becoming a Sikh, and what is significant about it, in terms of dressing and lifestyle. Today we will go into the five articles of faith that a baptized Sikh is supposed to wear at all times.
A baptized Sikh is supposed to always wear or keep with them these five items…
Kirpan—a small knife / dagger, symbolizing the ability to defend oneself and others against injustice.
Kesh—uncut hair, on all parts of the body.
Kangra—a wooden comb, as a symbol of uncut hair and cleanliness, and to be used to brush the hair down twice a day.
Kacheras—cotton underwear / shorts that covers the top of the thigh bone.
Kara—a steel or iron bracelet, symbolizing the infinite creator, and as a show of faith.
There can be many interpretations for why someone keep these five symbols, and I am sure Sikhs will have different personal or interpretational reasons for why they follow the order from the Guru to keep the five Ks. Some will have explanations that either doesn’t seem relevant to me, or that I don’t know about. But here’s what I know about the significance and energetic impact of the five K’s, and why I have decided to always wear them (or the expression of the technology of them)…
The Kirpan—A kirpan is a small knife, and while I love the idea of wearing a proper knife at all times, I don’t do so in Europe (max allowance for knives are 11cm in Europe). The knife I wear is symbolic and is part of the Khanda (Adi Shakti symbol). That’s what I wear daily, except if I go the Gurdwara (Sikh temple), where I will wear my proper Kirpan.
That is sufficient as an energetic protection and a symbol of this vow. Also, the protection we need in this age, isn’t so much one of violence and fighting, but more about protection from the collective agendas and mind control systems. The Khanda absolutely creates a protective field around the wearer and protects the mind from being hijacked. I always wear my Adi Shakti necklace, and only takes it off if absolutely necessary.
The significance of the Kirpan also extends to a mental and emotional control. If one is to carry a weapon, one absolutely has a responsibility to only use it as a last resort and in self defense. This is a notion that I really resonate with, and which I try to learn from + teach to my son as well. It is not the weapon which is bad, it is the minds of people which gets corrupted. We cannot approach life in this world from “eliminating every danger”—our real task, when raising children and as a humanity as well—is to know right action, and display self control (that is true for weapons, diet and social media—people love to blame “the thing”. But temptations will always be there. The real question is how do we interact with it?)
Kesh—actually, when I think about it, I’m kind of puzzled as to why we as humans would ever even cut our hair? This has been an interesting transformation for me, but it really makes zero sense to me anymore why we would think it necessary to cut or remove hair. Do we really think God made a mistake putting hair on us where it is? But of course I understand how as a culture this behavior developed. We are told that certain hairstyle or body hairstyle is more attractive than other. I don’t see it that way anymore, and cutting hair makes no sense to me.
However I fully respect other people’s choices, and it’s really none of my business what other people chose to do (as long as it doesn’t cause harm to others). You might also ask me, what about my husband? He doesn’t keep Kesh and he cuts his hair and trims his beard. Well, that is his personal choice, and although cutting hair no longer makes sense to me, I would never tell another person what to do. Just like I don’t accept another person telling me what to do. I am fortunate that I have a husband who is very supportive and accepting of me and my choices and I aim at being the same with him.
The reason for not cutting the hair, from an energetic point of view, is to keep the total nervous system + electromagnetic field intact (if someone cuts a limb off you can see in infrared scans that the electromagnetic field is still there). Not cutting hair gives a complete and full aura + extends the radiant body.
Kangra—A kangra is a comb, and it is supposed to be with you at all times. Some people wear it in their hair or in their turban. Others in their pocket or tied to their Kirpan or other part of their clothes.
When you comb your hair with a wood comb, you neutralize your electromagnetic field. It is a very calming and meditative act. It also means you have to redo your turban + keep your hair clean and from tangling. This is to prevent people, especially in the past, from becoming messy looking, or wear days old dirty turbans etc. It is another way to remind a person of keeping clean + create a sense of self dignity and elevation.
Kacheras—The Kacheras are traditional underwear that are like shorts and tie with a drawstring. The technology behind it is that you want to always keep your thigh bone covered. From a yogic point of view keeping the thigh bones warm helps to balance the mineral levels in the body, as the minerals are regulated into the blood stream through the thigh bones. If they get cold this balance and mechanism is off.
I feel like the drawstring underwear had more significance in the past, as wearing underwear in the 17th century was less common than it is now a day (+ the drawstring was necessary as elastic fabrics wasn’t invented yet). The drawstring underwear also served as a reminder to the Sikh warriors not to rape when serving in military duties and wars (I know, a bit harsh, but that’s how the story goes.)
For me, I focus on the yogic technology and I don’t wear traditional kacheras every day, only if I do full bana and go to the Gurdwara. I always cover my thigh bones though, also when I go swimming etc., and typically wear leggings under everything in the winter, or cotton shorts in the summer.
Kara—A Kara is a steel or iron bracelet that can be worn either on both wrists or only one wrist (typically right for men and left for women, but there’s some debate about what is the right protocol—I just wear on both).
It protects against attacks and black magic (yogic explanation), and it is a symbol of faith and of the eternal God.
The iron Karas (which I recently switched to for this reason) also helps to release iron into the blood stream, through the skin on the wrists, which can increase stamina and health. This is the more traditional material, originally used, but a Kara can be either steel or iron. Typically people prefer the steel once because they can be thinner and look more shiny. The iron Karas become shiny with wear though (they look dull when not worn and can even rust if not being worn). I love this part that the iron Kara comes alive when you wear it.
Are only Sikhs allowed to use these technologies? No of course not!
Everyone can use the technologies of the five Ks.
A Sikh makes a formal commitment to them, but anyone can use them if they want. I think some might disagree on this, but for me it’s very clear, and I wore these for many years before officially becoming a Sikh.
If you have any questions you would like to ask me about my chosen path, about Sikhi or why I do what I do, you’re welcome to ask me. Send me an email or DM me on Instagram.
