KHALSA

Khalsa, from Arabic khalis (lit. pure, unsullied) and Perso-Arabic khalisah (lit. pure; office of revenue department; lands directly under government management), is used collectively for the community of baptized Sikhs The term Khalisah was used during the Muslim rule in India for crown lands administered directly by the king without the mediation of jagirdadrs or mansabdars. In the Sikh tradition, the term appears for the first time in one of the hukamnamas (lit. written order or epistle) of Guru Hargobind Ji where a sangat of the eastern region has been described as Guru ka Khalsa, (guru's own or Guru's special charge). It has also been employed in the same sense in one of' the letters of' Guru Tegh Bhadurji (1621-75) addressed to the sangat of Patna. The word occurs in Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, once, but there it carries the sense of the term khalis, i.e. pure.

The term "KHALSA", however, acquired a specific connotation after Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666-1708) introduced, on March 30 1699, the new form of initiatory rites -khande de pahul (rites by khanda or double - edged sword). Sikhs so initiated on that Baisakhi day were collectively designated as the Khalsa -- Khalsa who belonged to Waheguru, the Supreme Lord. The phrase WaheGuru Ji ka Khalsa became part or the Sikh salutation: WaheGuru Ji ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh (Hail the Khalsa. who belongs to the Lord God! Hail the Lord God to whom belongs the victory!) It is significant that shortly before the inauguration of the Khalsa Guru Gobind Singh Ji had abolished the institution of the masands, the Guru's agents or intermediaries assigned to sangat, of different regions, and his hukamnamas of the period confirm the de-recognition of masands, establishing a direct relation between thc sangats and the Guru Guru Gobind Singh, at the time of his departure from this mortal world, conferred guruship itself upon the Khalsa along with the holy Guru Granth Sahib. During the eighteenth century the volunteer force organized by the Sikhs was known as Dal Khalsa (lit. the Khalsa. army). Even the government of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) was called Sarkar-i-Khalsa. In religious and historical Sikh texts, the Khalsa is repeatedly extolled as Composed of' men of excellent moral qualities, spiritual fervor and heroism.

It is more appropriate to use the term for the entire community or a representative gathering of it such as "Khalsa Panth" or "Sarbatt Khalsa." The Khalsa in this context implies the collective, spiritually-directed will of the community guided by the Guru Granth Sahib.

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