Question: – I have been told that at Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazoor Sahib, women are distributed only ‘Kirpaan Da Amrit’. What is the difference between ‘Khande Da Amrit’ and ‘Kirpaan Da Amrit’?

Answer : – The five beloved ones (‘Panj Piyaare’) prepare the ‘Amrit’, the nectar. The nectar is prepared in an iron bowl. The five beloved ones sit around it. Clean water and sweet puffs are put in the iron bowl. The five beloved ones recite the Gurbani (Jap ji, Jaap sahib, Swayyas, Chaupayee and Anand Sahib) one by one and keep stirring the water with a ‘khanda’ (double-edged sword). This is the Sikh baptism.

Because this nectar is prepared using the ‘khanda’, so it is called ‘Khande Da Amrit’ (the nectar of double-edged sword). It is also called ‘Khande Dee Pahul’, ‘Pahul Khandedhaar’ and ‘Khandedhaar Pahul’. This ‘Khande Da Amrit’ is distributed to every man and woman, who wants to get the admission into the Holy school of Sikhism, who wants to be the Sikh of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

At Takht Sri Hazoor Sahib, women are baptized by the kirpan (sword) instead of ‘khanda’ during ‘Amrit Sanchar’. While baptizing the women, only Jap Ji Sahib, few stanzas from Jaap Sahib, and six stanzas from Anand Sahib are read. Only one beloved one (Panj Piyara) prepares the Amrit. This Amrit is called ‘Kirpan Da Amrit’.

To know more about on the topic, please read an article Kirpan Da Amrit (The Nectar Of Sword) in English. A Punjabi article is also available on this topic: – Kirpaan Da Amrit (PDF).