Kirpan


The kirpan (/kɪərˈpɑːn/; Punjabi:ਕਿਰਪਾਨ kirpān) is a sword or knife carried by Sikhs. It is a religious commandment given by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 that Sikhs must wear five articles of faith at all times, the kirpan being one of five articles.
The word kirpan has two roots: the first root is kirpa, which means "mercy", "grace", "compassion" or "kindness"; the second root is aanaa, which in turn means "honor", "grace" or "dignity".