Quote
Gagan SIngh
To my understanding I think Guroo Sahib jee is saying the Kesh is of such beauty given from Akaal Purakh and should be maintained with the highest satkaar and care. The examples of using incense and adorning the Kesh has being given within the last lines of the RehitNamaa, the KESH IS GUROO DEE MOHAR!
No doubt Kes should be highly regarded and given utmost resepct, but in regards to Guru Jis mohar "Keski" is Guru Jis mohar ( nishan) . Many rehats have deleted kaka and bihari from the rehat which states Keski is Guru Jis mohar. BHai Sahibm SIngh Ji has kept the original wording and mentions Keski is Guru Jis mohar ( stamp).
Kes is always covered by keski so kes cannot be considered as Guru Jis mohar because Guru Jis nishan is never hidden from the general public. Keski colors are blue and yellow and are the colors of Guru Sahibs nishan sahib. When no Sikhi stood out to claim the body of Guru TEgh Bhaduar Ji, Guru Sahib was displeased and said in the near future his SIkh will be given a distinct identity to stand out in a crowd of thousands. Many people have uncut hair. In fact, many people wear turbans. But besides GUrsikhs you will find no person in the world wearing blue or yellow keski.
In regards to incense. Guru Sahib says use scent on kes to keep away bad odor. Due to its fragrance. this is why GUru Sahib has given us sandalwood kangha as a kakkar . Bhai Gurdas Ji mentions sandalwood is the best scent of all woods. Its pretty much common sense why SInghs used yogurt and flowers. In Agrarian times, dehee was in common use and because of the nutrients it was placed on kes. The downfall is dairy products produce a bad odor when exposed openly for a long time., thus one places flowers or incense to keep away bad odors. .In more modern times we have more suitable products to provide kes with health and a good scent. It is GUruS Hukum to keep kes fresh and clean on a daily basis . This is why daily head ishnaan is important. I think the biggest beadbi comes when people comb their kes with a kangha that is not made according to puratan standars. The puratan kanghey had wide open teeth thus when combing kes hair would not prick the kes nor would the kes get stuck in the tooth and break. Nowadays they make kanghas with extremely narrow teeth and thus kes gets broken unnaturally.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥