Understanding Mool Mantar

luv4u · #1 (**permalink**) 22-05-2007, 12:53 PM

Mool Mantra
Ik onkar, satnam, karta purakh, nirbhau,
Nir vair, aakaal murat, ajooni se bhang,
Gur parsaad. Jap. Aad sach jugaad sach,
Hai bhi sach naanak hosi bhi sach.

luv4u · #2 (**permalink**) 22-05-2007, 06:43 PM

<> siqnwm krqw purKu inrBau inrvYru
Akwl mUriq AjUnI sYBM gur pRswid]
[One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace ]

The Mool Mantra is the most important concept within the Guru Granth Sahib, and is considered the basis of Sikh theology; a position that is emphasized by its appearance as the first composition written in the Granth. It is said that the Mool Mantra was the first composition of Guru Nanak upon enlightenment at the age of 30. It is philosophically dense, difficult to explain, and understand as it encapsulates the entire Sikh theology in roughly 8 concepts: it is the foundation upon which the proceeding verses, hymns, and prayers of the Guru Grant Sahib (which amounts to about 1430 pages) elaborate.

The Mantra

ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ [1]॥

One Universal Creator God, The Name Is Truth, Creative Being Personified, No Fear, No Hatred, Image Of Undying, Beyond the Cycle of Birth and Death, Self-Existent, By Guru's Grace.
Ika Ōaṅkāra

There is only One God
Ika

There is one God, the sole Supreme Being, the Ultimate Reality. Bhai Gurdas writes, "By writing 1 (one) in the beginning, it has been shown that Ek Oankar, God, who subsumes all forms in Him is only One (and not two or three)" The number one also affirms identity and not void or shunya.
The mind is capable of knowing only those things, phenomena, facts and concepts which are bipolar or relative. God being non-dual and absolute, is unknowable to the human mind. A simple example of this is in imagining distances: one could quite easily indicate that a meter in height is so high; even two or three metres. However when it comes to large distances, one mile, or two miles it cannot be imagined by the mind, or fully comprehended and so a standard is used for comparison: this mountain is x miles high, this tree is so high etc.
Ōaṅkāra

The word 'O-ankaar' denotes that God manifests Himself ceaselessly throughout His creation in diverse forms, features and colours, and in this way becomes knowable to us. But, in spite of manifesting in such diverse forms, God remains One; He is immanent in His creation, while being at the same time transcendent. This God is at once one and many, implying unity in diversity. Kapur Singh suggests Oan = Transcedent, -kar = Immanent. The Mandukopanishad defines the word as: "That which was, is, will be, is all Onkar. And that which triple transcends is Onkar too."
Sati Nāmu

His Name is Truth
Sati

In Sanskrit, there are two words which have this root: Sat which means beingness, existence and Satya which means truth, validity. There is a great difference between the two. Satya is the quest of the philosopher who seeks truth. What is this truth? It lies in the rules whereby two plus two always equals four, and never five or three. So Satya is a mathematical formula, a man-made calculation, but it is not Sat. It is logical truth but not existential reality. Sat is that which just is, always has been, eternal. God is both Sat and Satya, existence as well as truth. Being both He can neither be fully attained through science, which probes truth, nor through art, which explores existence. Both are incomplete in their search, because they are directed only towards one half of Him. Where both meet, where the mind and heart meet, religion begins. If the mind overpowers the heart, science is born. If the heart overpowers the mind, the realm of art is entered: poetry, music, song, sculpture. Science and Art are dualities, religion is the synthesis.
Giani Jagtar "Jachak", past head granthi at Harmandar Sahib, teaches that God is the only stable origin of creation. He creates, and He constantly touches up His masterpiece creation, like an artist who caringly touches up His work. The universe will eternally follow the plan of His Huham.Creation is the result of God's hukam which never ceases. All things in the universe are constantly being recycled or changing in molecular structure.
Nāmu

Naam means, literally, the Name. A fuller definition of the word can only be found within the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Naam is God’s Word, or the Divine Essence. Etymologically, the word has a striking resemblance with the Greek neumena, or the Bright Essence, as opposed to phenomena. Naam is not merely the ‘Name of God’ as is commonly believed; it symbolises the Being of God filling all Creation. Naam is also referred to as Shabad in the SGGS.

Where there was no creation, there was nothing in existence – no air, light, water, earth or space.

God existed alone in deep meditation and self absorption. When God willed the manifestations of His values, He created universes, worlds and all material and other living beings by uttering a single Word. His Word is all pervasive and the sole source of all Creation; the Word created the universes and supports and sustains all things within them. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib further enlightens us that God’s Word turned into waves of light, rays of which are present in all creatures and all other parts of His creation.

This Essence / Naam / Shabad / Logus is formless, colourless, and featureless but, as said, is present in all creation. There is no plant, no creature, in what it is not. The Earth and other heavenly bodies exist because there is Naam in this universe and when God withdraws this Naam from this Universe, there are natural calamities (Parloh / Mahaparloh) all over the universe and this is the time that the universe perishes and all the living creatures perish. Being so, the Essence can’t be seen or visualised by the mind. We can see only the physical dimension of Reality in God’s Creation – mountains, plants, trees, creatures etc. Thus the Outer Shell of Reality holds us (the appearances delude us) and we cannot penetrate deeper to experience the all pervading Reality. The physical dimensions of Reality (the outer shell) is always in flux; it keeps changing. While birth, death, creation, destruction etc. occur in the physical dimensions of creation, the Essence, being Sat (Sat-Naam) never changes, it transcends space and time.
We cannot focus our mind or attention on God, who is Absolute, the invisible Essence. The Naam (SHABD), the Name of God is the only medium available to us for approaching Him. The Naam actually is a combination of five words (which are the names of five supernatural heavenly places which fall on the way when the soul is starting towards the SACHKHAND) which only a true Guru can give to his disciples. All who get Naam from the Guru have to concentrate at one point in their mind and recite the Naam in their mind without actually uttering it. When we recite Naam, our soul starts responding to it. It actually starts to shrink and starts moving towards the point in our body called the THIRD EYE. When a person practices it for a very long time he/she reaches the SACHKHAND. Thus, it is through the Naam that we are able to think of Him, to remember Him. In other words, the Naam is God Himself, adopted to our limited powers of perception and thought, adopted to the capacities of our body and mind. Because we are endowed with the capacity to utter and attentively listen, the continuous recitation of and attentive listening to the Naam focuses our mind on the object of invocation, resulting in a ceaseless remembrance of God (DHYAAN). This Dhyaan, in turn, results in complete absorption of our consciousness on the thought of God, who responds to our earnest invocation and reveals Himself in our inner being.
The revelation of the Essence of Reality within us is the revelation of Naam. When the revelation of Naam occurs within, the devotee sees the Essence of God pervading throughout His Creation.
Gurus have taught that their teachings are for all castes (varnas) and religions, and all have the right to receive the teachings of the Gurus. To initate our soul so that it starts towards the ultimate goal (SACHKHAND), a person has repeatedly and continuously to recite the Naam, and to cherish it in the heart all the time – this is the essence of prayer and devotion to God.
In Gurbani, the word Gurshabd or Shabd is synonymous with Naam. Without ceaseless recitation of Naam God cannot be realised. This does not refer to repeated verbal uttrances.
Karatā Purakhu

The Creator

Karta translates literally as the Doer, the Creator. Purukh translates literally as man, husband, basically a male person.

In the Sankhya system of Hindu philosophy, Purusha (the Universal Spirit), eternal, indestructible, all pervasive, is without activity or attribute, and it is left to Prakriti (primal nature), itself an uncaused cause, and an ultimate principle, to bring the phenomenal world into being.

The Sikh doctrine, however, while making use of the word, emphasizes Purusha being Himself and the only Creator. As in Sufi and Vaishnavic lore, He is the only He, His creatures being females longing to go out and Unite with Him.

Dr. Santokh Singh says: God, the Supreme Being, Himself is the Creator (Kartaa), and being immanent in His Creation, is All Pervasive and fills all beings (Purakh). He is thus Omniscient, knowing each one's inner mind, and Omnipotent, doing everything everywhere - evoluting, sustaining, and involuting.

By stating that God is the Creator, one may think that the Creator and His creation are separate. When an artist sculpts an idol they are both separate from one another. If the sculpture fractures, the sculptor is not affected in any physical manner, because the two are separate. There is no such similarity between God and His creation.

What kind of relationship exists between God and His creation? It is like the one between a dancer and his dance form. When man dances, can you separate him from his dance? Can he return home leaving the dance behind? If the dancer dies, the dance dies with him. When the dance ends, he is no longer the dancer. They are united, one. This is why since ancient times, Hindus have looked upon God as the dancer, “Natraj.” In this symbol the dancer and the dance are one.

A poet is no longer related to his poem once it is finished. The sculptor is separated from his sculpture as soon as it is completed. A mother gives birth to a child, and they are separate; the father is always distinct from the child. But God is not distinct from His creation; He is contained in it. It would be more accurate to say: the Creator is the Creation, or the Creator is nothing but creativity.

This is essentially the reason why Guru Nanak Dev says there is no need to renounce or run away from the world. Wherever you are, He is. Guru Nanak Dev gave birth to a unique religion in which the householder and sannyasi are one. He alone is entitled to call himself a Sikh who, being a householder is yet a sannyasi; who, being a sannyasi is still a householder. In light of this, it is difficult to be a Sikh. It is easy to be either a householder OR a sannyasi, but as a Sikh you are to be both. You have to remain in the house – but as if you’re not there for your own personal self. Keep running the shop, but maintain the remembrance of His name ever throbbing within; you can be immersed in mundane tasks of life, yet remember His name along with it.
A further point to note here is that the householder-sannyasi, as exemplified by Guru Nanak, and further emphasised by Guru Gobind Singh in terms of the Sant-Sipahi (Saint-Soldier), resulting in the formation of the Khalsa, is a formidable being because he cannot be corrupted. He who exists right in this world and yet is not of it, can in no way be tempted. The Khalsa is spiritually rich, the spirituallity cannot be taken from him/her and also he/she earns a living and yet is not enamoured by the lure of wealth and worldly pleasures.
Nirabha'u

Without Fear

Bhao translates as fear, and Nir translates as without. God is without fear: Origin of fear is possible only if there is another being besides Him. Fear always involves the other: if someone can take something away from you it destroys your security. But, as God is Absolute, Himself immanent in all His Creation, whom is He to be afraid of? A corollary to this attribute, stated positively, is that God is all Bliss.
Niravairu

Without Hate

Vair translates as enmity, hostility and Nir translates as without. God is without rancour or enmity; As God is the Sole Supreme Being, Himself immanent and pervasive in His Creation, against whom is He to have rancour, enmity, hatred or ill-will? A corollary to this attribute, stated positively, is that God is all Love. He is above all fear and is free from all thoughts of enmity.
Akāla Mūrati

Being Beyond Time
Akaal translates as 'not subject to time or death' and Moorat translates as form, shape, image. God is a Being beyond time: An Eternal, Indestructible Entity.
Time means change. We are aware of time because we are surrounded by change: the sun rises and it is morning, then it is afternoon and then evening; first there is the infant, then the youth, then the old man; a healthy man becomes ill, an ill person healthy; a rich man becomes a pauper, a pauper becomes a king. For God there is no time because He is eternal, perpetual, immortal. He is forever. For Him nothing is changing; everything is static. Change is the experience of sightless eyes that do not see things in their full perspective. If we could see things from the furthest vantage point all change drops away, and then time stops; it ceases to exist. For God all things are as they are; nothing changes, everything is static.
Ajūnī

Unborn / Not-incarnated

Joon is a feminine noun and translates as 'birth, existence', the A- suggests 'Beyond'.
God is Unborn, Uncreated, Beyond Incarnation: He Himself, being the Primal Being, no being prior to Him can be conceived.

Sikhism rejects out of hand the theory of incarnation of God. The Guru-Saint thus is not God-incarnate, even though he has all the attributes of a living, human God and so identified with Him, as is his Word the (disembodied) embodiment of the Gur through which he reveals his God-nature.
Saibhaṃ

Self-existent
Saibhan is derived from the Sanskrit ‘swayambha’ and as stated above, is translated as self-existent. The meaning of self-existent is that He is self-creating, He exists by Himself and has no support except His own; He is self-begotten and has no origin.
Gura Prasādi

By the favour of the Guru

Gur stands for Guru: Master, Spiritual Teacher, Guide. Prasad translates as favour, grace; thus He is attained by the Grace of the Enlightener.

The above translation is that which is given by the majority of Sikhs. Both Macauliffe and Dr. Gopal Singh have suggested that the Mool Mantar was intended as epithets of God - Macauliffe suggest the phrase to mean, "the great and bountiful."

Guru Nanak Dev ji had no human Guru; his Guru was Satgur. Sat(TRUE/TRUTH)gur(in Gurmukhi literally meaning IDEA/SOLUTION/KEY to a problem). It was during the spiritual supremacy of his successors the favour of the Guru was invoked, and deemed indispensable for deliverance. Moreover, suggests Macauliffe, though Gur Prasad does sometimes in the Guru Granth Sahib means the Guru's favour, it more often expressed by Guru Parsadi.
Dr. Gopal Singh says that "...many Sikh and European translators have joined the word Gur and Prasad together to suggest: "By favour (or Grace) of the Guru (is He dwelt upon)". But here Guru Nanak is giving, in monosyllables, the attributes of God. The Guru here, therefore, is Guru-in-God whose Grace is invoked. As such Guru can only be rendered as "Enlightener" which is also its literal meaning in Sanskrit."

1.http://www.sikhmatrimonials.com/sikhnet/youth.nsf/27c74a183c813c6b872564280071e363/35766abc80ce264a87256f94004c9563!OpenDocument
2.http://www.sikhism.ws/mool-mantar-1501/

3.http://www.uncoverthenet.com/search/?q=mool+mantra&cd=&cpe=cz0xQ2VudCZjcD1zZTEtNzAyMjE mYz0wLjAx&tlbr=on

It is only a compilation effort and is put separately so that readers can also add their view points.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mul_Mantra

Aman Singh · #3 (**permalink**) 23-05-2007, 08:48 AM

Dear luv4u, before starting a topic one should post his/own views on the topic rather than cutting and pasting the stuff. Presenting you own views on the topic would give the readers a clear vision as what you want to understand on the topic. Please take care.

luv4u · #4 (**permalink**) 23-05-2007, 09:22 AM

In nutshell the Mool mantra is summed up as follows.
ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

Ik oankar satinamu karta purakhu nirbhau nirvairu akal murati ajuni saibhan gurprasadi
translates to One Supreme Being, Truth is His name; the Creator Primal Being; Without fear and Without Enmity, the Timeless Verity, Un-incarnated and Self-Existent, known through His grace.[(GG. Pg 1)]

Oankar is a variation of the mystic monosyllable Om (also known as anahata nada, the unstruck sound) first set forth in the Upanishads as the transcendent object of profound religious meditation.

Guru Nanak prefixed the numeral one (ik) to it making it "Ik Oankar" or "Ekankar" to stress GOD's oneness. GOD is named and known only through GOD's Own immanent nature.

{for detailed discussion refer:http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/essays...-sikhism.html] (God in Sikhism)

As said Guru Tegh Bahadur, Nanak IX, "He has himself spread out His Own "maya" (worldly illusion) which He Himself oversees; many different forms He assumes in many colours, yet he stays independent of all" (GG, 537).

God is Karta Purakh: the Creator-Being. He created the spatial-temporal universe not from some pre-existing physical element, but from His own Self. Universe is His own emanation. It is not "maya" or illusion but is real (sat) because, as say Guru Arjan, “True is He and true is His creation [because] all has emanated from God Himself” (GG 294). But God is not identical with the universe. The latter exists and is contained in Him and not vice versa. God is immanent in the created world, but is not limited by it. “Many times He expands Himself into such worlds but He ever remains the same One Ekankar" (GG, 276). Even at one time "there are hundreds of thousands of skies and nether regions" (GG, 5). Included in Sach Khand (Realm of Truth), the figurative abode of God, there are countless regions and universes" (GG, 8). Creation is "His sport which He Himself witnesses, and when He rolls up the sport, He is His sole Self again" (GG, 292). He Himself is the Creator, Sustainer and the Destroyer.

What is the Creator's purpose in creating the universe? It is not for man to enquire or judge the purpose of His Creator. To quote Guru Arjan again, "The created cannot have a measure of the Creator; what He wills, O Nanak, happens" (GG, 285). For the Sikhs, the Creation is His pleasure and play "When the showman beat His drum, the whole creation came out to witness the show; and when He puts aside his disguise, He rejoices in His original solitude" (GG, 174, 291, 655, 736).

That God is "nirbhau" (without fear) and "nirvair" (without rancour or enemy) is obvious enough as He has no "sarik" (rival). But the terms have other connotations, too. Nirbhau not only indicates fearlessness but also the absence of fearfulness. It also implies sovereignty and unquestioned exercise of Will. Similarly, nirvair implies, besides absence of enmity, the positive attributes of compassion and impartiality. Together the two terms mean that God loves His handiwork and is the Dispenser of impartial justice, dharam-niau. Guru Ram Das, Nanak IV, says: "Why should we be afraid, with the True One being the judge. True is the True One's justice" (GG, 84).

God is Akal Murat, the Eternal Being. The timelessness involved in the negative epithet akal has made it popular in Sikh tradition as one of the names of God, the Timeless One, as in Akal Purakh or in the slogan Sat Sri Akal (Satya Sri Akal). One of the most sacred shrines of the Sikhs is the Akal Takhat, the Eternal Throne, at Amritsar. Murat here does not mean form, figure, image or idol. Sikhism expressly forbids idolatry or image-worship in any form. God is called "Nirankar", the Formless One, although it is true that all forms are the manifestations of Nirankar. Bhai Gurdas, the earliest expounder and the copyist of the original recension of Guru Granth Sahib, says: "Nirankar akaru hari joti sarup anup dikhaia (The Formless One having created form manifested His wondrous refulgence" (Varan, XII. 17). Murat in the Mool Mantra, therefore, signifies verity or manifestation of the Timeless and Formless One.

God is Ajuni, Un-incarnated, and Saibhan (Sanskrit svayambhu), Self-existent. The Primal Creator Himself had no creator. He simply is, has ever been and shall ever be by Himself. Ajuni also affirms the Sikh rejection of the theory of divine incarnation. Guru Arjan says: "Man misdirected by false belief indulges in falsehood; God is free from birth and death. . . May that mouth be scorched which says that God is incarnated" (GG, 1136).

The Mool Mantar ends with gurprasadi, meaning thereby that realization of God comes through Guru's grace. "Guru" in Sikh theology appears in three different but allied connotations, viz. God, the ten Sikh Gurus, the enlightened ones and enlighteners, and the gur-shabad or Guru's utterances as preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib. Of God's grace, Gurus' instruction and guidance and the scriptural Shabad (Sanskrit, sabda, literally 'Word'), the first is the most important, because, as nothing happens without God's will or pleasure, His grace is essential to making a person inclined towards a desire and search for union with Him.

Extracted from adopted :http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/essays...-sikhism.html] (God in Sikhism)

luv4u · #5 (**permalink**) 23-05-2007, 08:37 PM

Dear Aman ji,
I have noted your message for future compliance , Sorry that it caused you incoinvenience.

Understanding 'one' and 'many'

The above posts have been reproduced from a standard source of Wikipedia . This is assumed to be the stated position Of the Almighty. We all accept this.

1. It is the main theology Of Sikhism unless contrary to the above is proved.

2. Bhai Gurdas writes, "By writing 1 (one) in the beginning, it has been shown that Ek Oankar, God, who subsumes all forms in Him is only One (and not two or three)" The number one also affirms identity and not void or shunya.

Analysis Of Number ‘One’

The definition of formlessness will be fine if one can always imagine something existing in space and constantly creating and assuming different shapes and forms all the times so that one cannot say with certainty as to what is the exact shape and form at one point of time howsoever, small that may be. Sikh religion can be believed to be Monistic i.e. the view in metaphysics that reality is a unified whole and that all existing things can be ascribed to or described by a single concept or system.[one may make further investigations by investigating terms like monotheism,Transdental, Immanence etc, that fits into while dealing with Godhead and attrubutes.]

Number One and problem Of formlessness

The number ‘One’ should, essentially, go against the philosophy of formlessness and the thinking patterns that we are attuned to. Even to say that He is ‘One’ in himself will lead it to imagine some form. Mind is free to visualize this. If there is ‘one’, It must have some association with some form. Human mind is capable of imagining something concrete that we call as ‘one’. The sheer fact that something is ‘one’ cannot make it otherwise, leads one to assume that ‘one’ has to has some form so that ‘one’ becomes meaningful. It has to be ‘one’ and cannot be nil [Shunya]. One is also not an abstract number. [Considered apart from concrete existence].

Conceptualizing Formlessness

On the other hand there has to be something opposite to ‘one’ like i.e. ‘infinite’. If something is infinite it can still be contained in ‘one’ provided that the ‘one’ itself changes so quickly that ‘rate of change’ is too high that the exact shape and form cannot be glimpsed by human mind at any point of time when the ‘rate of change’ is being observed. The range of ‘rate of change’ of the entity varies from ‘one’ to ‘infinity’. It is the limitation put upon by us on our mind only that we can’t have an idea of infinity in the present context. Surely, we cannot define infinity in finite expressions but mathematics give some answers to reach approximations in terms Of numbers. ‘One’ can definitely contain in itself the ‘infinite’ in terms of approximation of assuming a thing or substance of which that ‘one’ is composed of to be changing all the times that our mind can detect. It shall stand the logical test. Human Body along with its organ and parts and minutest of cells and tissues, is the finest example that can best describe the concept that is self creating and constantly changing entity and that contains itself in itself all the times, We all know but we cannot express. Human body, thus, fall in the class of an entity that has form and yet is formless as it is also constantly changing with every moment. [However, human body is not the cause of all the cause and will not be categorized as something divinely, but it is the best possible example of defining something that is one and is composed of many and is constantly changing.]

Analysis Of Human Body as an example Of Formlessness

It is for the human mind to make something fit into the definition to conceptualize a thing that is constantly changing at such a fast rate that one cannot imagine the exact shape of the thing at one point of time as the number of forms that exist at that point of time will not be or cannot be caught by the human intellect. Yes, anything superior to human mind and is so ‘Sukshm’ [fine] that human mind and intellect looks too much of a ‘Gross’ in terms of conceptualization. What human mind can analyze is ‘Gross’ and that which cannot be analyzed will be ‘fine’. ‘Fine’ is essentially considered as the cause of ‘Gross’.

To reach the level of something that is so ‘fine’ one must take one’s intellect to the level of something that is so ‘fine’ or ‘finer’ than the thing that one is studying or analyzing ,in the present case we are trying to encapsulate the ‘one’ who has many forms at one point of time and it has also one form . It is obviously not very easy to define and state in human language but one can always conceptualize something ‘one’ that may seem to have some/many forms and yet may be changing so fast and may exist in many forms and yet may still be in ‘one.’ We can conceptualize. Such an ‘entity’ can be imagined by human mind. One can reach at the approximate form/forms/ of this entity.

However, if this is susceptible to be even imagined by human mind it shall be against the SGGS ji. Hence I abandon the idea of further investigating into the matter.

In fact, entire nature is the best example of being defined as one and yet containing no shape and yet so many shapes that it cannot be defined of any form as at any particular moment nothing is static and everything is changing.

The emphasis is that human mind is capable of reaching the level of imagination as to the ‘one’ who may be ‘one’ and yet may be ‘many’ and may be formless at any particular point of time as it might be undergoing a change all the times. It is like a constant flow of water in a river between two points of study. The entire mass of water is being constantly replaced by new mass of water. However, on the face of it, it appears that it is not so. There can be so many examples that one can think of.

This is the magic Of number one.

I had problems of solving this i.e ‘one and yet so many’. It is the way I solved the things for myself and may be it helps. May be it is helpful to you as well. I do not know. I have never expressed myself in this manner. would like to be forgiven if something has irritated you.

luv4u · #6 (**permalink**) 24-05-2007, 08:13 PM

The Mul Mantra, the Root Mantra, is the only cure for the mind; I have installed faith in God in my mind" - SGGS page 675

Ik Onkar

Every religion, system of philosophy, or group of human beings in general are engrossed in speculating about the origin of the world, universe, or universes as they see it.

The concept of eternal reality and its attributes are enunciated in Gurbani in a very precise manner in the Mool Mantar in Japu ji at the very beginning of Guru Granth Sahib. In terms of economy of words and intensity and concentration of philosophical concepts there is a very clear pattern in Gurbani. The very beginning of Gurbani in the form of Mool Mantar and Japuji presents a highly intense emphasis on theological concepts. As one moves forward there is exposition of the individual aspects in individual Sabads and long compositions such as Sukhmani, Sidh Gost, Oankar, Anand etc. Cosmogonical concepts are further elaborated in the Vaars at the end of each Rag in the Pauris of these Vaars[1].

He is the sole God, Ik , or Ek Oan Kar. 'Om ' has a special significance in various religions especially Hindu. One can trace the origin of Om in various ways. However, many scholars have some point of view whether the word contains ‘Om’ or not and how actually it is to be pronounced.[2] There are difference of views as to how to pronounce it. One may refer to the interesting discussion at the followings addresses:

Quote

“Dear Gursikhs,
One thing which is really confusing me is the very First Word of Our Guru Granth Sahebji and that is Ek Oankaar or is it Ek Omkaar.
Whether we may like it or not Guru Nanak Devji has taken the preachings of many Scholars of all religions.
OM is the most powerful word in the universe.
By saying OM each & every part of our Body is active.
Try it yourself.
Cause if we are not following the very first word of our Guru than where are we heading for? Posted by Gursikh of Universe”

Unquote

Please see:The Voice of Sikh Youth > Is It Ek Oankaar Or Ek Omkaar

And also :
quote

“this is very deep subject-

please listen to gyani thakur singh ji japji sahib audio vaikhiya - 1-5 files. this is explained in detail there.

http://www.gurmatveechar.com/katha.php?k=gts” .

Unquote

Om, as stated above is of significance to the Hindus. It is sometimes written as ‘Aum’ .It represents the three Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. ‘Om’ or ‘Aum’ in itself means Brahman[3]. It has been stated by the scholars that Guru sahibann pre-fixed ‘Ik’ and suffixed ‘kar’ to the word ‘Om’. This was done to state monotheism in the Sikhs religion. The SGGS begins with Ik Oan Kar – Only one God. The philosophy differentiates from the philosophy of the Hindus as well where it is stated to be following one god and many a times many gods and goddesses. There is a reference of this in SGGS ji as well.

Ik Oankar pharase has a long legacy in Indian philosophy apart from being the 'Beej Mantar' in Sikhism and at the biginning part of the ‘Mool Mantar’ and indeed that of Guru Granth Sahib ji.
As against the rest of he Gurbani, or the general writings of religious personages, a mantar is highly concentrated and philosophically dense symbol or phrase that displays the same concepts or aspects of God or a deity as the writer is attempting to portray in a larger corpus. It is in this context that in Gurbani, the ‘mool mantar’ or the first sentence of Guru Granth Sahib attempts to depict the various aspects of God in about half a dozen word pairs such as Sati-Naam, Karta-Purkh, Nir-bhau, Nir-Vair, Akal-Murti Ajooni-Saibang. Such a Mool Mantar tradition goes back to the Vedic times or even beyond. Whereas, further on in Japuji, each sentence conveys one idea, in mool mantar each word pair does the same[4].

Beej Mantar

However, in Beej Mantar i.e. Ik Oankar Guru Nanak Dev ji goes an order of magnitude higher in the sense that this pair of symbols (one a numeral and another a letter of alphabet) manages to convey most of the aspects of God in just these symbols.
There would be a difference Of opinion as to whether the above Oankar really contains Om or Aum. This is yet to be resolved.In absence of any clarity it would be important to see as to how Om and Aum stand in relation to the Godhead.
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[1] ttp://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/All+by+Date/e7a41a235fc1861d87256ba10061a53e?Open
[2] The word 'O-ankaar' denotes that God manifests Himself ceaselessly throughout His creation in diverse forms, features and colours, and in this way becomes knowable to us. But, in spite of manifesting in such diverse forms, God remains One; He is immanent in His creation, while being at the same time transcendent. This God is at once one and many, implying unity in diversity. Kapur Singh suggests Oan = Transcedent, -kar = Immanent. The Mandukopanishad defines the word as: "That which was, is, will be, is all Onkar. And that which triple transcends is Onkar too."
[3] Brahaman means: God
[4].Re: Eg Kon Kar Re: Eg Kon Kar[http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion.nsf/All+by+Date/DF9BD972E0EECEB5872565AA0054FF5D?OpenDocument]

GuruPyaara · #7 (**permalink**) 25-05-2007, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luv4u

The Naam (SHABD), the Name of God is the only medium available to us for approaching Him. The Naam actually is a combination of five words (which are the names of five supernatural heavenly places which fall on the way when the soul is starting towards the SACHKHAND) which only a true Guru can give to his disciples. All who get Naam from the Guru have to concentrate at one point in their mind and recite the Naam in their mind without actually uttering it.

Dear luv4u, can you elaborate it a little more, in the context of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, please. Or am i missing something?

luv4u · #8 (**permalink**) 25-05-2007, 07:02 PM

Dear Gurupyare jeo,

The answer to your question can be found in the Bani Of Guru Nanak Dev ji in Jap ji sahib.The khands are the stages of spritual achivements of a seeker .These are not physical states or places. The following are the extracts that I have prepared for the mutual benefit. We can explore it further if desired. However, looking at the relevance in the context itmaynot be very advisable. I am quoting below the concept part only. You may kindly like to elaborate it further by giving your input as well.

Five Khands

FIVE KHANDS or Panj Khand literally means as follows: Panj = five and khands = regions or realms. These signify in the sikh tradition the five stages of spiritual progress leading man to the Ultimate Truth. The supporting text is a fragment from Guru Nanak Dev ji Bani , of Jap ji sahib [Pauri](Stanzas) 34 to 37.

The Five Realms described in the Bani are:
1. Dharam Khand: the realm of righteous action (pauri 34),
2. Gian Khand: the realm of knowledge (pauri 35),
3. Saram Khand: the realm of spiritual endeavour (pauri 36),
4. Karam Khand: the realm of grace, and
5. Sach Khand: the realm of Truth (pauri 37).
The concept of the spiritual journey running into several stages is found in other religious traditions as well. The number of stages and the nomenclature may vary, but the broad features of the journey remain the same.

The seven muqamat of the Sufis, the eight angas of Patanjal Yoga, the five kosas of Vedanta and dash bhumis of Buddhism run on parallel lines though they are embedded each in a different cultural milieu.

The Panj Khands in the JapJI sahib delineate the different stages of spiritual ascent tracing the evolution of human cons