Life of human beings has to choose one of the two courses - living in Divine Love or a life of craving for worldliness. It is not possible to follow the two diverse ways simultaneously. It so happens that a vast majority follow the dictates of their minds and engage in worldly pursuits. It is given to a small minority to engage in spiritual life, which appears diverse from the normal way of the majority.

A devotee naturally comes to acquire different attributes in appearance, speaking and behaviour, which reflect his personality. Thus:

BgVA V> s>sArIa; j~RU cdE n aAieaA | 16 | vAr mAJ m:1 {145}

The worldly way is full of compromises with changing values to suit the exigencies of daily life in pursuit of transitory pleasures. A devotee holds on stead fast to his set of values, even to the peril of his life. Spiritual path is not known to be easy. Third Nanak in Gurbani (Anand Sahib) Says:

BgVA cI CAl inrAlI | CAlA inrAlI BgVAh cErI ibkm mArg ClNA |

lbU l~BU ah:cArU Vij iVqsnA bhUVU nAhI b~lNA |

k^inahU iVkI vAlhU incI eEVU mArig jANA | {rAmclI m:3 an^d - 919}

On the hard passage of a devotee's Life, there is renunciation of greed, ego and worldly cravings. A devotee is not given to much talk. Such a way of life is, sharper than the edge of a sword and finer than hair, of very demanding standards.

The goal of a devotee is oneness with the Lord through righteousness. For this, he has to shun all thought of selfhood, which may lead to sin against Divine will. He remains immersed in God meditation. Truth and purity go together just as falsehood and defilement are linked.

Whereas truth and purity lead to honour here and hereafter, falsehood and defilement bring rejection and spite from others and even in Divine court.

The khalsa having been born according to Divine Will is the representative of God on earth, of truth and purity. Thus:

vAihgUr< jI cA kAlsA , vAihgUr< jI cI fVh |

represents the close relationship of Khalsa as God's army. The victory of Khalsa is that of God and God is always victorious. It is the triumph of truth over evil.

Though essentially Khalsa has a separate identity, yet he wishes well for every one. Only the evil ones have to fear Khalsa and bode ill-will for him, because he does not compromise with evil.

Even the worst enemies of the Khalsa have admired his attributes in the light of Gurmat:

dEk prAeIaA C^gIaA mAvA: B>NA YIaA: jAN> | and

V>sA sUvrn V>sI uUsU mAtI |

i.e. "Khalsa respects all womanhood like mothers, sisters and daughters." and

"Khalsa is immune to temptation treating gold and dust alike."

Khalsa - Separate Identity

This is the Commandment of Tenth Nanak:

jb lg kAlsA rhE inaArA | Vb lg VEj dIo m>: sArA |

jb ieh gh> ibprn cI rIV | m>: n cruU ien cI pqVIV |

As long as the Khalsa maintains separate identity, I shall give them all the glory. However, if they follow the Brahmanic tradition, I shall no more trust them.

This non-compromising stance is explained by the tenets for the Khalsa:

1. The Khalsa identity is ordained by Tenth Nanak, in accordance with Divine Will.
2. This is most natural form with a turbaned head.
3. He wears the five insignia as the divine gifts.
4. He is the baptised one and under protection of the Guru.
5. Shunning ornaments, he is always imbued with Nam.
6. He prays during the ambrosial hours of the morning.
7. He earns with sweat of his brow, meditates on Nam and shares his earnings with the needy.
8. He lives according to Divine wisdom.
9. He abides by the tenets of meditation, charity and purity.
10. He shuns all intoxicants.
11. He is not slave to tasty food, unfit for godly persons.
12. He refrains from adultery, slander and others' wealth.
13. He is congenial and soft spoken.
14. He is humble in spite of his position and strength.
15. He lives according to Divine wisdom rather than following his mind.
16. He does not indulge in vulgar music and dance.
17. He enjoys divine music in holy congregations.
18. He does not hunt with evil instincts in the garb of a holy person.
19. In holy congregations, he seeks spiritual food in Divine praise.
20. He eats to live, sleeps only for rest and talks to the point.
21. He refrains from wishful thinking.
22. He reads, hears and sings Gurbani, so as to practice its teachings in daily life.
23. He accepts the Divine will cheerfully.
24. He is free from lust, anger, greed, attachment and conceit.
25. With truthful living, he does not indulge in cheating.
26. He neither fears anyone nor causes fear.
27. With his protective nature and friend of the humble, he fights against cruelty and injustice.
28. He worships only One God and no other deity.
29. He has complete faith in the ten Gurus and Sri Guru Granth Sahib as his liberators.
30. He does not believe in caste system, untouchability, magic, good-omen, observance of special days, rituals for the dead or any other brahamanic rituals, idol worship, worship at graves or the rituals of other faiths.
31. He does not indulge in rituals against Guru's teachings. The procedures for celebrations of birth, death, baptism and marriage are in the light of Guru's teachings.
32. Thoughts of hell or heaven do not bother him. He is only devoted to Divine Love.
33. His greeting is, " Khalsa belongs to God and God be victorious ".
34. His war cry is, " Whoever utters God is Eternal Being, shalll ever be happy "; so also at various congregational gatherings.
35. Khalsa is universal and does not limit his allegiance to boundaries of countries.
36. He prays for universal good.
37. He is Pure without any blemish.