Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Afshan, and welcome to today's lesson.

Today, we are going to explore a really inspiring and powerful story from the Sikh Faith, the story of the first Khalsa.

This isn't just a story from history.

It's a story about courage, faith, and identity that still shapes the lives of millions of Sikhs around the world.

We'll learn about a moment when five people made an incredible choice, one that changed Sikhi forever, and discover why this moment still matters so much.

Today's lesson is called "The Story of the First Khalsa" from The unit Sikhs: What Does Khalsa Mean to Sikhs Today.

The outcome of today's lesson is, I can understand the meaning of Khalsa and explain how it created a special identity for Sikhs.

Before we dive into the story of the first Khalsa, let's take a moment to look at some important keywords you'll hear throughout the lesson.

The words are Guru Gobind Singh, Khalsa, and sacrifice.

Let's have a look what they mean.

Guru Gobind Singh is the name of the 10th and final human Guru in Sikhi who started the Khalsa.

The word Khalsa is a special group of Sikhs who promise to live honestly, help others, and follow the Sikh religion closely.

And finally, sacrifice, giving up something important or special for a good cause or to help others.

Would you like to repeat saying those words one more time? Great.

Let's get started.

Our lesson today has two cycles.

First, we are going to look at what is the story of the Khalsa.

Here we have Andeep.

Andeep explains why we learn about different people in religious education.

Andeep says, "We can better understand people's worldviews by listening to them and asking questions about how they live." People express what is important to them through their actions, which help shape a unique and special identity for themselves and others.

In this lesson, we will be learning about the Khalsa and how it shapes the lives of many Sikhs.

Here we have Jacob and Sofia.

Jacob and Sofia are going to help us throughout the lesson.

They're now curious about what the Khalsa means in Sikhi.

Jacob asks, "Have you heard of the Khalsa, Sofia? Sofia replies, "It sounds important.

I want to know more." Let's join Sofia and Jacob on the journey to find out about the story of the Khalsa.

Jacob and Sofia are going to interview Ria.

Ria is a British Sikh and she has a Sikh worldview.

"What is the Khalsa," they ask? Ria replies, "The Khalsa is a special group of Sikhs that was created by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and final human Guru in Sikhi." Let's have a check.

What is the Khalsa? Is it a special prayer Sikhs say every day or a festival celebrated by Sikhs, or is it a special group of Sikhs? What do you think? That's correct.

Khalsa is a special group of Sikhs.

You got that right.

Well done! Jacob and Sofia are now wondering what is a guru.

Ria helps them and says, "The word guru means teacher.

A guru is someone who shows the right path to people.

In Sikhi, we have 10 gurus who have helped us to better understand how to live a good and holy life.

Guru Gobind Singh is the last of our 10 human gurus.

He was born in 1666 in India.

He followed the ninth guru, who was his father.

After his father's death, at the age of nine, he took over leading the Sikh people and became the 10th and final human guru." Let's have a look at what was happening around the world when Guru Gobind Singh was born in 1666.

As you can see on the timeline, around 1666, the Great Fire of London happened here in the UK.

Guru Gobind Singh was born in 1666 and died in 1708 CE.

Let's check if you got that.

What number human guru was Guru Gobind Singh? Is it 10th or 11th or 12th? What do you think? 10th guru.

That is the correct answer.

Well done! Jacob and Sofia now ask, "When did the Khalsa start?" How can we find that out?" What do you think? That's correct.

We can go and speak to many more Sikh British people to find out a little bit more about the Khalsa and what it means to them.

Let's go to Ria again and find out what she knows about the Khalsa.

Ria says, "There is a story about the Khalsa that explains its importance." Let's listen to the story of the first Khalsa.

A long time ago in the year 1699, the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, invited all the Sikhs from across India to come to the city of Anandpur Sahib for the Vaisakhi festival, the harvest festival.

People were excited.

Something special was going to happen.

Thousands of Sikhs came and gathered.

Guru Gobind Singh stood in front of the huge crowd.

He wore his special clothes and held a shining sword in his hand.

He looked at everyone and asked, "Who is ready to give up his life for God and his faith?" Who will offer his head? The crowd became silent.

No one moved.

Everyone looked at each other in surprise and fear.

Guru Gobind Singh asked again, "Who will offer his head?" Still no one replied.

Then he asked a third time, at last, a brave man stepped forward.

His name was Daya Ram.

Daya Ram stood up and listened to Guru Gobind Singh and said, "Guru Ji, I will give my life for you and for God." You may take my head.

Guru Gobind Singh took Daya Ram into a tent.

A few minutes later, the guru came out alone with his sword covered in blood, the crowd gasped.

Some people were scared and thought the guru had really taken the man's life.

Here's a check for understanding.

Who was Daya Ram offering his life for? Is it Guru Ji and God or his country or his family? What do you think? That's correct.

He offered his life for Guru Ji and God.

Well done! Guru Gobind Singh asked again, "Who else is ready to give his life?" One more man stepped forward.

Then another and another.

In total, five brave men stepped forward one by one.

Their names were They are Daya Ram, Dharam Das, Mohkam Chand, Sahib Chand, and Himmat Rai.

Each time the guru took them into the tent, each time he came out alone with the bloodstained sewed.

Then something amazing happened.

Guru Gobind Singh came out of the tent again, but this time all five men came out with him.

They were alive, smiling, and now dressed in beautiful blue ropes with saffron sashes and turbans.

Each held a shining sword.

The Guru said to the crowd, "These men have proven their bravery.

They were ready to give their lives for their faith.

From now on, they will be called the Panj Pyare, the Five Beloved Ones." The crowd cheered.

Time for another check.

What were the men called after proving their bravery? Is it the Five Heroes or the Sacred Five or the Panj Pyare? What do you think? That's correct.

They were called the Panj Pyare, the Beloved Ones.

Well done! Guru Gobind Singh prepared a special ceremony.

He mixed sugar and water in a steel bowl and stirred it with a sword.

This drink was called amrit, the nectar of life.

The guru gave the amrit to the five men to drink.

Then he knelt down and drank it himself.

He said, "I'm just the same as you." The Khalsa is the Guru, and the Guru is the Khalsa.

This was the birth of the Khalsa, a group of brave, honest, and pure Sikhs.

From that day, anyone could join the Khalsa, men or women, if they were ready to be strong, truthful, and live for God.

Ria and Ranjit, a British Sikh from Birmingham, are sharing their thoughts on the importance of the story of the Khalsa.

Let's find out what they say.

Ranjit says, "Every year at Vaisakhi, we go to a gurdwara to hear the story of the Khalsa, it reminds me how brave the first Sikhs were." Ria shares, "The story of the Khalsa helps me remember how Guru Gobind Singh made us part of the Khalsa and gave us a special identity." Time for our task.

Here we have Jun.

Jun asked, "Why was the Khalsa formed and why is it important to Sikhs today?" Let's help him.

Use these sentence starters to write a short explanation to help Jun understand.

You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready with your answers.

Let's check your answers.

You might have explained using these sentences.

The Khalsa was formed by Guru Gobind Singh at the Vaisakhi festival.

Guru Gobind Singh wanted to create a group of brave Sikhs who were totally committed to following their religion wholeheartedly.

It continues to be important to Sikhs today because it showed how brave people made sacrifices and stood up for their faith.

Well done if you completed those sentences.

Great work.

We now know the story of the Khalsa.

Let's now go and find out what is the meaning of Khalsa.

Jacob and Sofia want to explore what the concept of Khalsa means for Sikhs and how it shapes their identity and community.

What do Sikhs learn from the story of the Khalsa? Jacob wonders.

And Sophia asks, "Why is the story of the Khalsa so important for Sikh identity?" They're now talking to Ranjit to find out what he learned about the Khalsa.

Ranjit, what did you learn about the Khalsa? Ranjit replies, "I learned that the Khalsa was started by Guru Gobind Singh to make Sikhs brave and ready to help others." Ranjit shares why the Khalsa is so important and what it means to him.

"Khalsa means pure.

I think the Khalsa teaches me to always stand up for what's right and help others, no matter who they are.

It also reminds me to be proud of who I am.

Like when I see someone being bullied at school, I try to help because I know that's what the Khalsa would want me to do." Let's see if you got that.

What is one of the lessons that Sikhs learn from the creation of the Khalsa? Is it to only help those within their own community, or to always stand up for what's right and help others, or is it to focus on their personal gain and avoid helping others? What do you think? That's correct.

To always stand up for what's right and help others.

Great work! Jacob now talks to Harpreet, who is a British Sikh from Slough.

He says, "Hi, Harpreet.

What does the Khalsa mean to you?" Harpreet replies, "For me, the Khalsa means living by the teachings of equality and service." Do you think the story of the Khalsa is important for Sikh identity? They ask.

Harpreet replies, "The story of the Khalsa is really important for Sikh identity because it shows us who we are as Sikhs and what we stand for.

That is why I dress a certain way, so you can see I'm a Khalsa Sikh." Harpreet continues and shares, "The story teaches me to be kind and strong in my faith.

I've also learned that being part of the Khalsa is not just about looking different, it's about living with purpose, serving others, and standing up for what's right.

The story reminds me to be proud of my faith and remember that sometimes we have to make sacrifices to help those in need." Time for another check.

The story of the Khalsa teaches Sikhs to live with courage, serve others, and be ready to sacrifice for their faith.

True or false, what do you think? True.

That's correct.

The first five Sikhs showed great courage and were willing to sacrifice their lives for their faith.

The story and courageous Sikhs to live with purpose, help others, and always stander for what is right.

Well done if you chose true as you answer.

Jacob and Sofia are now talking to Ria.

"Ria, does the story of the Khalsa influence your beliefs and actions?" They asked.

Ria replied, "The story of the Khalsa influences my beliefs by teaching me the importance of being brave when facing challenges." Ria continues, "It shows me that even when things are tough, we should stand up for what's right and not be afraid.

For example, when I had to speak about my religion in front of the class, I remembered how the first five Sikhs were brave, even in scary situations, and that gave me the courage to do my best." Time for another check.

What lesson does the story of the Khalsa teach Ria? Is it that only the strong should help others, or that it's better to avoid difficult situations, or the importance of being brave when facing challenges? What do you think? That's correct.

It taught Ria the importance of being brave when facing challenges.

That's the correct answer.

Well done! Time for our next task.

Jun is wondering about the Khalsa.

He says, "I think Sikhs have different beliefs about the meaning about the Khalsa." Choose three words or phrases from the case studies to explain to Jun why his idea is correct.

You could give examples of how the Sikhs in the case studies try to live the Khalsa values in your answer.

You can pause the video now and come back to check your answers with me.

Let's check your answer.

Your answer may have included, not all Sikhs have exactly the same beliefs about the Khalsa because people have different interpretations of how to live out being a Khalsa Sikh, the way they see and understand the world, their faith, and how they live.

While many Sikhs agree on the importance of the Khalsa and the values it teaches, like bravery, service, and sacrifice, some may express the commitment through how they live and serve others, while others may show it through how they look.

Well done if you included that in your answer.

Great work.

Let's put our learning together and try and remember what we've learned in our lesson today.

We now know that the Khalsa was formed by Guru Gobind Singh at the Vaisakhi festival.

Guru Gobind Singh wanted to create a group of brave, honest, and pure Sikhs who were willing to make sacrifices and stand up for their faith.

A deeper meaning of the story of the Khalsa is the importance of self-sacrifice and a life of service.

For more Sikhs, this story is the beginning of a distinctive Sikh identity.

The story of the Khalsa isn't just about the past, it's about how people choose to live with purpose and stand up for what's right even when it's hard.

I hope you leave today with a better understanding of what faith, bravery, and identity can mean, not just for Sikhs, but for all of us.

Thank you for your great thinking and listening today, and I will see you in our next lesson.

Goodbye.