Ik Onkar –
A reflection : Is It a full word or derived / Altered from OM
ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
I am sharing the following with the readers.

Ik Onkar and some views and Bij Mantra[1]

Guru Nanak's concept and vision of the Supreme Being is embodied in terse terms in the Sikh Fundamental Creed, Mool Mantra, literally meaning the Root Formula. Because of its importance as a basic theological declaration around which revolves the whole Sikh philosophical thought, it is most appropriately placed in the very beginning of the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. It affirms in unequivocal terms Guru Nanak's uncompromising belief in monotheism. In the original the text read as:
"Ek Onkar Satnam Karta Purush Nirbhau Virvair Akal Murat, Ajuni Saibhang Gurprasad(i)"

The English rendering would approximate to:

There is One and only One God who is transcendent as well as immanent. True and Eternal Name. Creator and Person. Without Fear and without Enmity. Timeless Form, Unborn, Self-existent. Realized by Divine Grace.

Bij Mantra and SGGS ji

Besides Mool Mantra there is another term Bij Mantra (Seed Formula) which is occurs in Guru Arjun's composition 'Sukhmani' (Pearl of Peace). The original text where it appears runs as:

Bij Manter sarab ko Gyan. Chahu Varona meh japey kou Naam."
It's English version is:
All can be enlightened with Bij Mantra. Anyone from four castes can meditate on it.
It may be noted that this is entirely in contrast to the traditions of the caste ridden Hindu society wherein the lower castes are not entitled to benefit from enlightenment of Mantras for meditation, etc.
The term Bij Mantra signifies any word or phrase out of which develops a prayer meant to be meditated upon or chanted to invoke Divine blessing.

Almost all the Sikh scholars and theologians are unanimous in recognizing Ek-Onkar as theBij Mantra out of which has emanated Guru Nanak's vision of the Supreme Being in the form of Mool Mantra. That is why it stands majestically at the head of the Mool Mantra and forms its integral part[2].

It is constituted of two components - Ek and Onkar. Ek means one, and is written as a numerical figure '1'. Onkar stands for the Primal mystical Divine Name of God referred to as Brahma in the Vedic literature. In order to grasp fully the underlying spiritual significance and meaning of Ek-Onkar each of its components needs to be studied in depth, beginning with Onkar.
Onkar contains ‘Om’ Hindus Most Powerful mantra[3].
The root of Onkar is traceable to the Hindu sacred syllable Om, also written as Aum. Historically, in the beginning, Om was used as a reply of approval or consent. It is equivalent to the English word 'Amen' uttered at the end of a Christian prayer, meaning 'so be it'.

At a later stage, with the evolution of Indian philosophic thought, the sages of Upanishads pronounced it as an adequate symbol of the Absolute Transcendent Reality, Brahma. It is considered as the unity of all sound to which all matters and energy are reduced in their primordial form, hence fit as a symbol for Atman (soul) or Brahma, the Supreme Being, which is the unity of all existence. These - and possibly some other - considerations led the Vedic sages to accord to Om the highest Divine reverence and worship. As a very sacred and powerful Mantra it forms part of daily worship and meditation by Hindu devotees. It is treated as the holiest symbol of Divinity calling it Nada Brahma or Shabda Brahma in the form of sound.
Its nearest equivalent in the West is Logos[4] or the 'Word'. St. John's Gospel expounds it thus:

"in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The Word was the true light that enlightens all men!
Written in original,it is composed of three letters of Sanskrit alphabet, corresponding to A U M of English alphabet. According to the polytheistic tradition of Hinduism it also represented the Hindu Trinity, each letter standing for one of the deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
This, is obviously, was not acceptable to Guru Nanak whose concept of God was based on unalloyed monotheism. His was One and Only One Supreme Being, an Indivisible Entity. This belief in the unity of God he has re-iterated in various ways in his other compositions as well. At one place he emphatically affirms,

Sahib mera Eko hai, Eko hai Bhai, eko hai.
In English:

'My Master is One, One only, Oh Brother, He is Sole.'

So Guru Nanak's revealed Scripture place numerical figure '1' before Onkar thus enhancing his firm conviction in the unity of God. Its main importance and underlying significance lies in the fact that one is not represented by 'one' in words, but by a numerical figure '1'; thus completely eliminating any possibility of words being given different meaning. It was Guru Nanak's own inspired vision that transformed AUM into Ek-Onkar[5] representing the Supreme Being, the Sole Absolute Eternal Reality which, while manifesting itself in multiplicity as Onkar, is still in its essence 'Sole and Absolute'; Transcendent as well as Immanent. Impersonal is also Personal in Ek-Onkar.

By the large, Sikhs worship 'Waheguru' as God's name for constant remembrance by repetition aloud or Sotto Voce. In Sikh parlance, this is known as 'Naam Simran'. There are, however, many a Sikh who also meditate upon and use Ek-Onkar for 'Naam Simran'. Like 'Waheguru' this is also considered to be a powerful Mantra for achieving spiritual progress and Divine Grace for final emancipation of the individual soul.
In conclusion, it can be said that Ek-Onkar is the true symbol of Sikhism given to us by Guru Nanak based on his spiritual experience and inspired vision at the very inception of the Sikh faith. [End Of the article.]
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My View about ‘Ik Onkar’


Our scripture do not contain the significance as to origin Of ‘Ik Onkar’ as no explanation is found in the SGGS ji or the commonly read Sikh scriptures. Sikhism do have some coomon conepts like soul, Law Of Karma etc, that are also found in Hinduism but Sikhism rejects the Hinduism and is a separate religion in itself. Sikhism rejects even Gita. It is the most popular scriptural reference to Soul and Rebirths etc. I am reproducing extracts [relevant portion] Of Rehat Maryada[6].

Sikh Rehat Maryada :

Views About ‘Onkar’

As per ‘Rehat Maryada’, a Sikh is not to accept Vedas and Upnishadas and smiritis. The Rehat Maryada is explicit and unambiguous in this regard.

In this case I beg to differ that ‘Onkar’ is really is derived [and is altered] from ‘Om’ that is stated to be one Of the most powerful Mantra Hindus. For them it is like the Mool Mantra and Guru-Mantra. I am reproducing the extracts of the Sikh Rehat Maryada, for the benefit of Reference purposes.

In My humble opinion it should be an independent word meaning the same as is meant to address the Almighty the Creator and should not be considered as any derivation/alteration /modification Of ‘Om’.

Article XVI
“A Sikh's living, earning livelihood, thinking and conduct should accord with the Guru's tenets. The Guru's tenets are:

a. Worship should be rendered only to the One Timeless Being and to no god or goddess.

b. Regarding the ten Gurus, the Guru Granth Sahib and the ten Gurus' word alone as saviours and holy objects of veneration.

c. Regarding ten Gurus as the effulgence of one light and one single entity.

d. Not believing in caste or descent untouchabililty, Magic spells, incantation, omens, auspicious times, days and occasions, influence of stars, horoscopic dispositions, Shradh (ritual serving of food to priests for the salvation of ancestor on appointed days as per the lunar calendar), Ancestor worship, khiah (ritual serving of food to priests - Brahmins - on the lunar anniversaries of death of an ancestor) (Two words, shradh and khiah, occuring in this clause connote what appears to be the same thing - the ritual serving of food to the priests (Brahmins). The difference between the connotations of the two words is implicit in the dates on which the ritual is performed. The ritual of serving of food on the lunar anniversary of the death goes by the name khiah; whereas the ritual of serving food on the lunar date corresponding to the date of death during the period of the year designated shradhs is known as sharadh.) pind (offering of funeral barley cakes to the deceased's relatives), patal (ritual donating of food in the belief that that would satisfy the hunger of a departed soul), diva (the ceremony of keeping an oil lamp lit for 360 days after the death, in the belief that that lights the path of the deceased), ritual funeral acts. hom (lighting of ritual fire and pouring intermittently clarified butter, food grains etc. into it for propitiating gods for the fulfilment of a purpose), jag (religious ceremony involving presentation of oblations), tarpan (libation), sikha-sut (keeping a tuft of hair on the head and wearing thread), bhadan (shaving of head on the death of a parent), fasting on new or full moon or other days, wearing of frontal marks on forehead, wearing of thread, wearing of a necklace of the pieces of tulsi (A plant with medicinal properties, Bot, Ocimum sanctum.), stalk, veneration of any graves, of monuments erected to honour the memory of a deceased person or of cremation sites, idolatry and such like superstitious observances (Most, though not all, rituals and ritual or religious observances listed in this clause are hindu rituals and observances. The reason is that the old rituals and practices, continues to be observed by large numbers of Sikhs even after their conversion from their old to new faith and a large bulk of the Sikhs novices were Hindu converts. Another reason for this phenomenon was the strangle hold of the Brahmin priest on Hindus' secular and religious life which the Brahmin priests managed to maintain even on those leaving the Hindu religious fold, by the his astute mental dexterity and rare capacity for compromise. That the Sikh novitiates included a sizeable number of Muslims is shown by inclusion in this clause of the taboos as to the sanctity of graves, shirni etc.)

Not owning up or regarding as hallowed any place other than the Guru's place- such, for instance, as sacred sports or places of pilgrimage of other faiths.

”Not believing in or according any authority to Muslim seers, Brahmins' holiness, soothsayers, clairvoyants, oracles, promise of an offering on the fulfillment of a wish, offering of sweet loaves or rice pudding at graves on fulfillment of wishes, the Vedas, the Shastras, the Gayatri,(Hindu scriptural prayer unto the sun) the Gita, the Quaran, the Bible, etc. However, the study of the books of other faiths for general self-education is admissible.’”

[Emphasis added by the author]

e. The Khalsa[7] should maintain its distinctiveness among the professors of different religions of the world, but should not hurt the sentiments of any person professing another religion.

Issues to be addressed

Issues For which reconciliation Is sought for. I have stated them to be problems as these are problems for me and I am sure it shall not be for many of my learned friends.

Problem No. 1

If Sikhs are not to believe in these Holy books of other religions it makes no sense to me as to why ‘Onkar’ is supposed to comprise ‘Om’ [or its altered form] as one of its word in the Bij Mantra. I am forced to believe that ‘Onkar’ does not and should not contain the word ‘Om’ or ‘Aum’ as is usually read and presented in some other posts of this forum. It should thought to have an independent meaning by way Of a full word and should be totally independent of ‘om’ or its altered form. Even if 1 is pre-fixed to Aum, its altered form would be reflective Of the acceptance of the word taken from the Aum/om and then changed, and it can hardly be the intention Of Guru Sahibaan.

Meaning Of Ik onkar by Dr. Sahib Singh ji,

1-ie`k[ E-EAM[ > -kwr[

‘E’ sMsik®q dw Sbd hY[ Amr koS Anuswr ies dy iqMn ArQ hn:-









iehnW ivcoN ikhVw ArQ ies Sbd dw ie`Qy ilAw jwxw hY-ies ƒ idRVH krn leI Sbd 'EN' dy pihlW '1' ilK id`qw hY[ ies dw Bwv ieh hY ik ie`Qy 'EN' dw ArQ hY 'auh hsqI jo iek hY, ijs vrgw hor koeI nhIN hY Aqy ijs ivc ieh swrw jgq smw jWdw hY['

Problem No. 2


The following lines also suggest that there is admission Of the fact that Vedas and Puraan etc, were created from the one ‘word’ of The Name of Almighty. Guru Sahibaan could not have rejected these as the creation Of any thing from the ‘word’ is supposedly be pious. I am not able to link the above two and hence would not be in a position to reconcile the conflicting self created arguments. Someone may kindly throw light.

byd purwn isMimRiq suDwK´r ] (262-11, gauVI suKmnI, mÚ 5)
The Vedas, the Puraanas and the Simritees, the purest of utterances,
kIny rwm nwm iek AwK´r ] (262-11, gauVI suKmnI, mÚ 5)
were created from the One Word of the Name of the Lord.

Problem No. 3


The Sikh Rehat Maryada is formulated by SGPC as the religious cum administrative body. One is free to practice any ‘Nam’ and ‘Simran’ like ‘Mool Mantra’ which is recommended in SGGS ji .

As SGGS ji does not contain the reference of Guru Mantra ‘Waheguru’, it should not be mandatory although SGPC recommends it for meditation or allied purposes as it might have appeared in ‘Varan’. Further, there is a reference that a ‘Khalsa’ should remember ‘waheguru’ and a Sikh should ‘Satnaam.’[ I do not have the source of the above citation , but a serious search can be made to locate the same and the same would be posted ,if required when available.]

Why such a difference has been made and what is the definition Of ‘Khalsa’ in this context. These are some of the stray queries that has cropped up while dealing with this and the other posts.

Problem 4

The following verses contain the reference to Bij Mantra. However, how to source out its origin is not clear to me. May be it appears in some scriptures other than SGGS ji.[ In nutshell how to make out that Ik Onkar is a bij Mantar]

bIj mMqRü srb ko igAwnu ] (274-16, gauVI suKmnI, mÚ 5)
The Beej Mantra, the Seed Mantra, is spiritual wisdom for everyone.
chu vrnw mih jpY koaU nwmu ] (274-16, gauVI suKmnI, mÚ 5)
Anyone, from any class, may chant the Naam.


Problem 5

How do we arrive at the definition Of Khalsa? The term, as per my search, appears only in one line of Kabeer Sahib as follows:

khu kbIr jn Bey Kwlsy pRym Bgiq ijh jwnI ]4]3] (655-1, soriT, Bgq kbIr jI)
Says Kabeer, those humble people become pure - they become Khalsa - who know the Lord's loving devotional worship. ||4||3||

It should, as per my intellect, should appear in Dasam Granth ji. I shall be grateful if I am enlightened.


E & OE, I shall edit it if there are mistakes.

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[1]http://www.sikhs.org/art1.htm [Souce Document, Kindly refer for complete article]


[2] Bij Mantra has appeared in SGGS in Sukhmani Sahib.

[3] Title Added by the author.

[4] Not discussd by the author in the present post.

[5] Author::The meaning Of Onkar is not clearly given by many authors/interpreters/commentators.

[6] One can refer to the full text as is available on the various sites.

[7] What is the definition Of Khalsa as per scriptures.

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