This Kara is round with a hand engraved mantra on the outside. The Kara is made of 100% stainless steel (never rusts and is anti-allergenic), perfect quality (no stains or marks), handmade in Amritsar, India by highly skilled craftsmen. For the polish, no chemicals are used and the Kara is NOT chrome plated. It is 0.15” (0.5cm) wide and weighs approximately 20g (varies slightly by size).
|
Size Chart
(Inner Diameter) |
inches |
cm |
|
X-Small |
2.25 |
5.7 |
|
Small |
2.5 |
6.4 |
|
Medium |
2.75 |
7 |
|
Large |
3 |
7.6 |
|
X-Large |
3.25 |
8.2 |
The mantra engraved on this Kara is called the mool mantra or root mantra. It is a mantra to connect the one with the infinite. It is a mantra to bring strength.
It reads as follows:
Ek Ong Kar - There is One Creator
Sat Nam - Whose Name is Truth
Kartaa Purka - Who is the Doer of Everything
Nirbahao - Without Fear
Nirvair - Without Anger
Akaal Moorat - Undying
Ajoonee - Unborn
Saibhang - Self-Illumined
Gur Prasad - By Guru’s Grace
Jap! - Meditate!
Aad Sach - True in the beginning
Jugaad Sach - True throughout the ages
Hai Bhee Sach - True here and now
Naanak Hosee Bhee Sach - Nanak says Forever and Ever True.
The engraving is in Gurmukhi, which is the written language of the Sikhs. Gurmukhi grew out of the 3000 year old Sanskrit language. Gurmukhi is a language of the Naad or sound current. It is believed that the actual sounds vibrate in the energy of the meaning of the words.
What is a Kara? The Kara is generally worn on the right wrist and it is a symbol of unbreakable connection to the Infinite / Divine. It is in the shape of a circle which has no beginning and no end, like the eternal nature of the Creative Energy of the Universe. The stainless steel is to signify purity and strength, and to remind the wearer to embody these qualities. It is meant to remind those who wear a Kara that anything done with the hands honors the Divine.
The Kara became one of the symbols of a Sikh who has taken his / her vows when Guru Gobind Singh declared it one of the the five Kakars. In the Punjab in India, Karas are worn by Sikhs as well as Hindus and Muslims. Around the world, the Kara has become a more popular symbol of an acknowledgment of intention to stay always connected with God.