Namo Sri Guru Khalsa
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Upon his departure for Sachkhand, Guru Gobind Singh gave the Gurgaddi to two things, the Shabad Guru Granth Sahib (the Gyaan of the Guru), and the Guru Khalsa Panth (the Roop of the Guru). If the Granth is the brain, the Panth is the body. In this way authority was vested into the Khalsa, so long as they maintained Rehit and adopted Gurmat.
Translation from manglacharan.com
Any subsequent “leader” was a mere servant of the Khalsa, and not ever meant to be the other way around. This is exemplified with gift given to Banda Singh Bahadur and the subsequent looting of that gift, by the Khalsa. Here is an excerpt from Rattan Singh Bhangoo’s Prachin Panth Prakash:
Anyone who takes on a position to lead the Khalsa is doing so as a tool of the Khalsa. No one can give an order to the Khalsa, they can only make a suggestion. It is up to the Khalsa to decide whether to accept or not. This applied even to Guru Gobind Singh! There is the example above of the Khalsa defying the gift given to Banda Singh, but there is also the Hukams the Guru Khalsa gave to Guru Gobind Singh during the Battle of Chamkaur to escape, go rebuild strength and keep the movement alive.
This shared status of each individual member of the Khalsa is actually the basis upon which the Misl system arose. It was a way for the Khalsa to reconcile that each one of them had equal status, but also fall into hierarchies to achieve particular goals. Each Khalsa had the freedom to leave a Misl and join another, or start their own, thus maintaining each individual’s freedom of choice… Somewhat.
It wasn’t perfect sure, and Azadism has argued extensively in favour of the Misls but with a few tweaks to get it exactly how Guru Sahib intended (at least in Azadism’s opinion). But one of the primary basis’s of this advocacy is to recognise and respect the mandate from the Guru to the Khalsa that each has that status. A Misl system (again, with a few tweaks), is the most compatible method of governance for the Guru Khalsa Panth.
It was not pakhand when Guru Gobind knelt down to receive Khande Di Pahaul from the Guru Khalsa on Vaisakhi. He truly meant what he was showing, that the Khalsa is now equal in status.
Khalsa is just one way of doing Sikhi, but it is a way sanctioned and launched by the human manifestation of the Guru itself. And it is the one way that was given Gurgaddi. By becoming Khalsa, you become the Guru. This is the ultimate apotheosis and a gift given by Guru Gobind Singh to anyone who is willing to put in the effort to follow a Rehit, adopt the mentality and engage in Dharam Yudh.
Guru Sahib is NOT some unobtainable ideal. The whole point of Sikhi is to reach the exact same status! This is not blasphemy, this is the gift the Guru gives!
So it is incredibly frustrating watching those who wear the Bana of Singhs then act like complete sheep and shut off their free-thinking ability for others. The Khalsa has been given such a royal status, yet we still act like beggars?
Not only do we already have a leader (the Guru), that leader passed his leadership to the Khalsa. We will follow every other mandate except this one because people are confused and distracted by their attachment to intermediaries and middle men.
I am by no means saying these offshoots, Sant babai, Jathedars etc have no value, many indeed do. But as guidance, not gospel.
Remember this when reading the next post, as it will be directly relevant.