In the Discussion forum a person asked this question:
Are ladies allowed to replace as "Panj Pyare" if there are not enough amirthari?"
Here some of the answers given to this question on the forum:
- According to akal takhat maryada, a girl can because it says any "SIKH" can do panj pyare de seva. But, if you you are going by puratan maryada they are not. I'm sure not of the reason.
- The way the question itself is put reveals our plight. Are ladies allowed to replace as "Panj Pyare" if there are not enough amirthari? Somewhere... deep down ..we'll not let ladies come forward .... I am referring to the usage of 'replace as' and 'IF THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH AMRITDHARI' . You know what these kind of questions are called ..ones that inherently make u assume a false premise in a manner that eventually whether you answer a yes or no, you are already failed cause you fell in the trap of assuming the intricate assumption. And we have become experts at defending rationales like these by using more than heavy superlatives like puratan ..... marayada ..and what not ...somebody said 'panj pyaareyaan' .... where will we stop?
- To be honest there is two answers to your question, The older Sikh population is still practicing the old practices of caste discrimination and gender discrimination, whereas the younger Sikh population as well as western educated Sikhs have become more open minded and accepting of people. For example the only gurdwara in the world where Sikh women are part of panj pyare and hold sri Guru Granth Sahib ji on their head during sukhasan is in Espanola, New Mexico. (Same Sikhs who are running this very site.)
- Words I m going to mention was once said by sant jarnail singh ji khalsa bhindranwale while answering to the same question asked by an amritdhari women ......baba ji said....sikhism is the only religion where women get freedom to worship god....not so like other....but when it comes to be in panj piare, then it is no ..because, when on the day of baisakhi Guru Ggobind Singh ji maharaj brought talvaar in deevaan....he asked for a head (for sacrifice) he didnt mention whether of men or women.....bas ik sees chahida a....at that time the persons who got ready for that... 5 of them were men (whom we call as panj piare)....sant ji said ..if at that time a women had stood for sacrifice... then today we would have seen women in as panj piare. Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh.
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