Five Evils - Significance of 5

Significance of 5

Although some Sikhs regard the number five as special — because of its presence in earlier Indian mythology and philosophy, such as the five rivers of the Punjab (which is where it derives its name); the five faces of Shiva; the five aggregates of human personality (panca-skandha) and five moral precepts (pancasila) analyzed by the Buddha; the five vows of Jainism (pancavrates); the five fires (pancagni) and five koshas (sheaths or wrappers) investing the self (pancakosah) spoken of by the Upanisads; the five abstentions (yamas) and five observations (niyamas) of Yoga; the five senses; and the five gross and subtle elements (panca mahabhuta or panca tattva); and even the Five Ks in Sikhism — Sikh theology actually attaches no significance to the numeral itself.

On the contrary, the Sikh teachings forbid the belief in superstition, and advise that the one who seeks the path to God must believe only in the naam (that is, God). Thus, a belief that the numeral five is significant, according to the Sikh theology, would be to become ensnared by the five evils themselves (specifically attachment — an inability to seek the truth because of ones belief in illusory constructs).