The Sikh Rehat Maryada sets forth an unambiguous directive regarding hair: a Sikh is not to cut, trim, shave, or otherwise remove hair from any part of the body. Kesh, the keeping of unshorn hair, is upheld as a central religious discipline and is counted among the essential articles of faith for those formally initiated into the Khalsa. This discipline extends equally to hair of the head, beard, mustache, and all other bodily hair, without distinction or exception in method of removal. The code thus frames the natural state of hair as something to be preserved rather than altered.

Deliberate cutting or shaving of hair is not treated as a minor lapse but as a serious religious transgression. Within the framework of the Rehat Maryada, such an act is identified among the gravest breaches of conduct, carrying significant spiritual and communal consequences. It is described as a cardinal offense that can lead to the need for formal religious rehabilitation and may even result in exclusion from the Khalsa fellowship until appropriate discipline is undertaken. In this way, the code underscores that the maintenance of unshorn hair is not merely symbolic, but a binding obligation that shapes both personal identity and communal belonging.

At a deeper level, the preservation of kesh functions as a visible and constant reminder of commitment to the Sikh path. By forbidding all forms of hair removal—whether cutting, shaving, trimming, or plucking—the Rehat Maryada invites the practitioner to accept the body as it has been given, and to allow that acceptance to serve as a daily spiritual practice. The uncut hair becomes a lived expression of fidelity to the discipline of the Khalsa, a sign that the individual stands under a particular code of conduct that is both inwardly transformative and outwardly recognizable.