8 Answers
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Sikhs believe in a concept similar to that of nirvana in Buddhism… that the soul goes through a cycle of birth and rebirth, and will only be set free once it has found the highest truth.
The silver bangle (kara) is a circular shape representing this cycle of birth and rebirth, and how there is no beginning or end to God’s creation. Also it is worn by all Sikhs, male and female, which shows equality.
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Sikh Bracelet
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If he is not a Sikh, then it isn’t a kara, which you know, so it’s most likely a piece of jewlery or something. I don’t know of any any silver bracelets that hindus wear that have a significance like the Sikhs.
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Found a great website……..Here’s their explanation:
Sikh Articles of Faith
Sikhs have a way to show their commitment to their religion: they wear five articles of faith, called kakkars or “5 K’s.” Many Sikhs who have not taken amrit (similar to baptism) do not keep all five. Almost all Sikhs wear the kara, or silver bangle.
These are the 5 K’s:
Kara: The kara, a steel bangle, is worn on the wrist. Since we use our hands for almost everything we do, the bracelet reminds is a constant reminder of good deeds.
Kachhera: The kachhera, a cotton undergarment, reminds Sikhs of their modesty.
Kanga: The kanga, a small wooden comb, represents cleanliness and taking care of yourself.
Kes: The kes, long uncut hair, has become the most visible way to identify Sikhs. Sikhs do not cut their hair in order to maintain the way their bodies were given to them. Most men and some women wrap their long hair in a turban. Almost all people you see wearing turbans in the United States are Sikhs.
Kirpan: The kirpan, generally a small religious sword, represents a commitment to justice.
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This Site Might Help You.
RE:
what is the significance of the silver bracelet sikh's wear?
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The good thing about Linda Doggie style is that her avatar is cute -otherwise i wonder about the standard of yahoo answers, that anybody googles anything, and becomes a top contributer.
Her answer is half done – and that part is perfect. But you should also know some practical stuff – that Sikhs in general dont follow the rules of the Khalsa anymore. ( The kara – bangle – is one of the 5 physical identities )
KHALSA
Was created about 200 years later by the 10th Guru in 1699 to give Sikhs a unique identity and some more wonderful beliefs. The Guru’s first 5 Khalsas were called Panj Pyaras. However this wonderful concept of Khalsa has been altered by Khalsas themselves.
Because almost every ‘Khalsa’ breaks his religious laws. Of the 5 K’s the Kesh ( hair and beard, eyebrows, body hair ) is shorn by a massive ( maybe 99 %, yes 99 % ) majority of the young ‘Khalsa’, weather they are in the UK or the fields of Punjab . Even the ‘Khalsa’s who keep the hair will reject 3 other physical symbols. For convenience sake – without batting an eyelid. Ask a religious ‘Khalsa’, – if you take so much trouble over maintaining your hair at the right length, do you keep ‘the Kacha’ ( large undergarment / drawers ) or do you wear a Calvein Klein brand of underwear. Do you keep ‘the Kanga’ ( comb ) of the right length or only a miniature Kanga – for convenience sake ? The ‘Kara’ is convenient so almost everyone ( including I ) wear it.
There is nothing wrong with this though – a dynamic religion will not lay too much emphasis on rituals – it will change, progress and become stronger with time. That is why Sikhism is a great religion today
EDIT – OFF TOPIC – This chap Steelboy criticizes me because he has regularly admired a killer called Bhindranwale who was a Sikh terrorist and who was as as evil as Osama or Hitler. Bhindranwale was clear in hatred for bamans ( Brahmins ) and supported the murder of quite a few ( see my answer below on Bhindranwale ) so his disciple Steelboy has decided to spin a yarn about Bamans.
Link on Bindranwale –
ON TOPIC – i must admit, Its a new story i am hearing from Steelboy about Guru Gobind and the Baman and the Kara. Hindu, Sikh and Christian mythology is full of long winding stories. There is no proof for this story besides for Steelboys irrational hatred towards Bamans and the superstitious element of history. Remember, the significance of most old historical customs are ritualism and superstition and all religions are equally guilty of this.
It is fine if you want to believe it, the funnny thing is that Steelboy ends it by saying that ‘ Kara is reminder for Sikhs not to believe in any kind of superstitions ‘
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Oops is just here to defame Sikhs, he disguise himself a Sikh but from his writings one can easily guess his associations with Shiv sena( a fantic hindu organisation)Linda’s anwer is partly right. Other part of this explained below:
Kara is mandatory for Khalsa Sikhs because it is one of the five K’s. However Sikhs were wearing Kara before the Vaisakhi 1699 when Khalsa was formed.
A brahman who was a worshipper of Shani god(an omen, saturn planet) approached Guru Gobind Singh and said Shani is angry with you. Then Guru said, ” Pundit jee, how Shani will be pleased”. Brahman did not know that Gurus did not believe in these thing, so told the method of pleasing of Shani which include donating some pulses, iron etc. Guru asked the caretaker of the store to take care of Brahman. Brahman took the thing which ever he wanted. But other Sikhs were watching and knew the Guru’s command. They took back all the things he got from the store. Daal and others goods were used to prepare langar(free food) and from iron the karas were made. When Guru saw Kara in the arms of Sikhs and story about this, he was pleased. From that time Kara is reminder for Sikhs not to believe in any kind of superstitions.
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Indian Silver Bangles