The Panj Piare are Guruji's own saroop. The Panj Piare is Guru. When Dasam Pita Ji invested Gurgaddhi into Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, he also invested it into Panj Piare and the Khalsa Panth. You mention legalism and rules as straying off the path. Yet Gurbani is not manmade legalism and rules, its Guruji's hukam. When we stray from Guruji's hukam, we are off Guruji's path. Dasam Pita Ji did not include his own bani into Shabad Guru Ji. But it is still bani. And it is still the Panthic tradition. And there are still supportive sources to corroborate what Dasam Pita Ji said about the Khalsa. The Panj Piare was invested with Guruship when Guruji selected the 5 beloved ones and Himself bowed down to them. It's not a bureaucracy, it's a path with pyaar! Panj Piare make corporate decisions for the Panth.

Those rules you're talking about, that you say is "legalism" that overtakes us, is that the Rehit Maryada you're refering to? The code of conduct given to all amritdhari Sikhs? Because if your challenging the legitimacy of Sikh institutions such as the Panj Piare, the Khalsa, the Rehit Maryada, then you're also challenging the basis for Gurgaddhi of Shabad Guru Ji, since Shabad Guru was invested at the same time as Panj Piare. And as I said before, the bani of Satguru Gobind Singh Ji was not included in Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. So what do you base you belief in Gurgaddhi of Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji on?

Without some authoritative basis for definitions of Gurmat, no one can establish anything. So when some dedhari Indian government sponsored Hindutva cult comes along and says they have Sikh Satguru Ji... How do we prove they're not right and we should not all go join their cult? If Sikhs can't use authoritative definitions for fear of being legalistic... then nothing at all is clear about Sikhism. And anyone can say anything.