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Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

I go to a lot of forums of discussions/veechar on Gurbani/Sikhism and honestly this is one topic which exists almost everywhere without failure. But this is the first i am going to write about it on any forum, cause after reading Prabhjot Sahi's comment (which is brilliant) i felt like completing it or rather complementing it.

Here are my two cents - (it is my finding, and it might be incomplete as I am a Seeker myself)

Guruji wanted to give an identity to a Sikh (as evident in an episode occurred in a Sakhi after Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's martyrdom) so he decided to give an identity which was not an ordinary identity (or just another identity) but had a deeper meaning to it.

For centuries Bhagats, Saints, Fakirs in Indian Sub Continent has been known to keep unshorn hair. Why they kept? Because they never thought of removing something given by divine/god, for them shaving or trimming was trivial, Jaap/Meditation was Mahaan and most important for them. Infact, Guruji himself and even his contemporary disciples are known to keep unshorn hair, so he directed his Shishya (A Sikh) to keep hair unshorn as he saw a Saint, a Bhagat, a Fakir in each of his Sikh. He made us Singh (Lion) and then Khalsa (pure).

So Friends, we are directed to become a:

Sikh - Student (ever obedient to Guru and down to earth)
Singh - Lion (A Symbol of Strength)
Khalsa - Pure & Sovereign (Embodiment of nature & free to the timeless)

Sikh is blessed to have such an identity through which he is always reminded himself as a Bhagat and shall always seek to become a true Sikh (Shishya/Student) of Guru Granth Sahib.

So Friends in simple terms - Unshorn hair means you have not done anything to hair, a natural action to something given by divine. You are natural - Khalsa. I think this is what a Sikh is suppose to do (As per Gurbani) surrender to the Almighty, as altering something means you are not happy the way you look or with what you have been given, which means there is still some worldly desires left in you, and Gurbani clearly states that unless a human rises above such desires (which can be done through Naam Meditation) Path of Enlightenment is not even found, leave alone treading it.

I hope i have been able to give my thoughts on importance of unshorn hair, i may realize deeper meanings as i tread along the path of Gurbani.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh! Puninder Singh - New Delhi

About Myself: I am a born Sikh and an avid reader. After listening to Maskeen Ji for sometime (again and again) I have started doing Nitnem (though I have always told by my parents to do so), I practice Naam meditation (this is THE THING - "Waheguru Meditation" first thing early morning) and also try to read/understand Guru Granth Sahib Ji as much as possible. To be honest, I use to trim my beard sometime back, but after doing meditation and Nitnem I have stopped trimming and feel hair has some energy balancing thing, im still a novice in this and i am learning (I am a Shishya). My will to become a Gursikh is stronger than ever because it has come from within not because my parents/elders/etc. said so. I am loving this change in myself.