Dear Khalsa Ji,
Today, with the grace of ‘The Sat’, I share with you my understanding of the Mool Mantra of Siri Guru Granth Sahib.
First the summary
Through Mool Mantra Guru Sahib has conveyed to his audience the concept of ‘The Sat’ that Guru Sahib had come to realise from his own personal experience. It is this concept that the followers of Sikh religion are to pursue.
1.<> - ik-oNkaar
There is only ‘1 Master’
My understanding:
Guru Sahib has started the Mool Mantra and Siri Guru Granth Sahib with a numeral and not with a letter. Its importance is to be understood.
If this numeral which means ‘one’ was written as ‘Ik’ we have to study its implication on the monotheistic concept Guru sahib wanted to give us.
If we see literature we will find many stories which start with the sentence - there was one (Ik) king or there was a king. This sentence is such that it does not exclude the possibility of another king existing. This is the impression every one will get on reading such a sentence. Had Guru Sahib stated the definition of ‘The Sat’ with ‘Ik’ then the sentence would have sounded similar to that of the ones we read in stories and it would have led to conclusion which Guru Sahib wanted to avoid.
Guru Sahib knew that there is only 1 absolute and Guru Sahib want us to have a clear (non-confusing) understanding of it. Sikhi was to remain Monotheistic and thus, as I understand, Guru Sahib used the Numeral ‘1’ (One) to impress on us there is only One and One only and there is no second. As 1 cannot have any other valure than what it has, that is why Guru Sahib used the numeral ‘1’
This way, Guru Sahib tells us that there is only ‘1 Master’ to whom we, along with entire creation, belong.
2. siq nwm - sat naam
For communication needs this ‘1 and the only Master’ is given the name ‘Sat’ i.e. essence.
My understanding:
For communication among the humans, it is essential for us to assign some arbitrary verbal identification which we call name. Each word that we have in any language has a content which we call meaning. Here Guru Sahib was called upon to give a name to an entity which is limitless, infinite, free and uncontainable ‘The Absolute Master’ i.e. <> - ik-oNkaar . All that the sum totals of all the words of all the languages of the world together covey are not sufficient to convey the idea this entity. The entire creation living and non living, in form or formless, in tangible of intangible domains are contained in this uncontainable entity Guru Sahib was called upon to name and yet the reader should not get confused or misdirected by it !! a difficult task it was.
Languages arose from the need of the living entities to communicate with one another. They are utilitarian in nature, the have words only for entities what exist in their current knowledge base. The knowledge of ‘The Sat’ is rare and not a part of that knowledge base. Languages cannot create a word that can contain the entity that Guru Sahib knew from his personal experience. Further more Guru Sahib knew that the entity that he is called upon to define is formless and thus difficult to explain to the commoners.
Thus it was not possible to create the word to describe this Formless, Infinite, Free and Absolute entity, which is unchanging and timeless. Yet there has to be some verbal articulation of this ‘Absolute’
As I understand, Guru Sahib found a new route to solve this difficulty. Guru Sahib knew that the entity under reference is the one which cannot be dissolved, destroyed or created and is the essence of all that exists or ever existed or will exist. For this there is a word i.e. ‘Sat’, which is abstract and does not evoke any image in any mind and thus represents the formless. As I understand, Guru Sahib decided to gave ‘Sat’ as the name to this entity and he said ‘Satnam’. To me it means its name is ‘The Sat’. It is with this understanding that I refer to this Absolute as ‘The Sat’ in my posts.
3. krqw purKu - kartaa Purakh
This ‘1 and the only Master’ is the spirit behind all that happens
My understanding:
Purakh is the Punjabi word which come from the Sanskrit word Purusha. In earlier times it was used to suggest the person - motivator or spirit – behind any action. It was applied to any entity. In subsequent times it became used for men in patriarchal society. It is my conviction that Guru Sahib has used the word Purakh in a manner it was used in the earliest times i.e. the spirit. This way Karta Purakh, as I understand, means the doer spirit.
I am further convinced about my understanding because I find that ‘The Sat’ gets every thing done through its elements of creation – living and non living; it never intervenes directly.
Not with standing what is written in ancient scripture of the land, I do not find any direct intervention by ‘The Sat’ in what atrocities were committed on Indians by Moghul rulers, on Jews by Nazis during second world war, what happened in Cambodia during Pol Pot regime, what happened to Sikhs during 1984, what happened in Bosnia, what happened is Gujarat, what is happening in Africa …….. None of us can say that during the difficult period there was not even a single person, undergoing atrocities, which had not appeal to Almighty for help and seek destruction of the oppressors. All this convinces me that ‘The Sat’ does not intervene directly in our worldly matters; “the Sat’ has given us all the physical and mental capabilities to manage our worldly affairs. It sets the thing right through its instruments in the creation in which Humans are the most potent one. Thus, I hold the opinion that acting as a true instrument of ‘The Sat’ is purpose of our born in human form. ‘The Sat is the spirit behind all actions; thus The Sat’ is Karta Purakh, the spirit behind all actions.
4. inrBau inrvYru - nirbha-o nirvair
This ‘1 and the only Master’ is free from Fear and Enmity.
My understanding:
Fear and enmity, these are the two emotions. The former make the person align to the demands of the strong and the later make the person with hold what is legitimately due to the second person.
Guru Sahib makes it very clear to us that ‘The Sat’ is not subjected to such emotions; ‘The Sat’ is free from these emotions and is fair to all.
It is my very personal understanding that ‘The Sat’ is free from any of such human emotion; ‘The Sat’ is above all. The laws of nature and the laws of Karma impact on all worldly entities. ‘The Sat’ supports live in a Sage and also in the evil doer; both are impacted by the law of Karma as long as the ‘I-ness’ in them remains.
5. Akwl mUriq - akaal moorat
This ‘1 and the only Master’ is independent of time
My understanding:
Kaal is an entity with devour all worldly entities, it is considered to be the ‘Time’. Guru Sahib tells us that ‘The Sat’ is independent of ‘Time’.
As I understand, time is the entity that elapses between two events; it applies to the changing world. ‘The Sat’, which is ‘Sthir’ (unchangeable) and Akshar (that cannot be destroyed or dissolved), remains the same all the time. It is independent of time. Time is a derived dimension resulting from the evolving creation. It is the way of creation to renew and evolve itself. It is not and independent entity for the One who designed creation i.e. ‘The Sat’
6. AjUnI – ajoonee
This ‘1 and the only Master’ does not get embodied, it does not take birth.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that ‘The Sat’ does not take birth. This make ‘The Sat’ an entity that is different from those who are embodied, like us. All this has connotations. Since ‘The Sat’ does not take birth it means in Sikhi there are neither ‘Avatars’ nor God and Goddesses (these are all embodied) as there are in many other religions. Another connotation is that ‘The Sat’ is Genderless as gender is needed only for procreation; another connotation is that since it is the birth that gives a specific body and ‘The Sat’ does not take birth hence ‘The Sat’ is formless.
7. sYB - saibhaN
This ‘1 And the only Master’ exists on its own
My understanding:
Guru Sahib had anticipated the question that will come to any thinking mind, if ‘The Sat’ does not take birth then how it is in existence. Guru Sahib has given the answer that ‘The Sat’ exists on its own. This need lots of mental deliberation to conceptualise how can ‘The Sat’ exists on its own, but it is so as guru sahib has said, one has to achieve spiritual height to realise this fact.
8. gur pRswid - gur parsaad
Embodied entities, like humans are, can be one with this ‘1 and only Master’ with the grace of this master.
My understanding:
All the time this only Master ‘The Sat’ is within us, it is all the time telling us what is right and what is wrong, yet it gives us total freedom of action. It is for us to take the line which we want, which we take based on our understanding and past karmic disposition. ‘The Sat’ allows the Karmic processes to impact on the embodied. With lots of knocks in life or otherwise when the person realises that the path it was treading was not right it come back to its source i.e. ‘The Sat’ and listen to what it is saying. Once the person has latched on to the voice of truth that comes from its own inner self (which is nothing but ‘The Sat’) and the individual’s past Karmic disposition allows it to follow this voice of truth, the gap in actions between the individual and its inner self starts diminishing. To me the impact of karmic process on the individual and the guidance of the voice of truth from the individual’s inner self brings the person to the right truthful disposition; for both of these elements which bring about the correction, ‘The Sat’ is the source. I understand this to be the grace of ‘The Sat’.
Once the Grace of ‘The Sat’ has started flowing towards an individual, to which heights this individual avails this grace is totally dependent of the individual being graced by ‘The Sat’. Availing this grace, following the voice of truth coming from the inner self and translating it into right action the individual evolves. Continuing with this process ultimately, the being of the individual and ‘The Sat’ become one and the same.
This is what I understand from the term ‘Gurparsadee’.
This is my understanding of the ‘Mool Mantra’ of Siri Guru Granth Sahib.
With this I close the post
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
Punjab
Today, with the grace of ‘The Sat’, I share with you my understanding of the Mool Mantra of Siri Guru Granth Sahib.
First the summary
Through Mool Mantra Guru Sahib has conveyed to his audience the concept of ‘The Sat’ that Guru Sahib had come to realise from his own personal experience. It is this concept that the followers of Sikh religion are to pursue.
1.<> - ik-oNkaar
There is only ‘1 Master’
My understanding:
Guru Sahib has started the Mool Mantra and Siri Guru Granth Sahib with a numeral and not with a letter. Its importance is to be understood.
If this numeral which means ‘one’ was written as ‘Ik’ we have to study its implication on the monotheistic concept Guru sahib wanted to give us.
If we see literature we will find many stories which start with the sentence - there was one (Ik) king or there was a king. This sentence is such that it does not exclude the possibility of another king existing. This is the impression every one will get on reading such a sentence. Had Guru Sahib stated the definition of ‘The Sat’ with ‘Ik’ then the sentence would have sounded similar to that of the ones we read in stories and it would have led to conclusion which Guru Sahib wanted to avoid.
Guru Sahib knew that there is only 1 absolute and Guru Sahib want us to have a clear (non-confusing) understanding of it. Sikhi was to remain Monotheistic and thus, as I understand, Guru Sahib used the Numeral ‘1’ (One) to impress on us there is only One and One only and there is no second. As 1 cannot have any other valure than what it has, that is why Guru Sahib used the numeral ‘1’
This way, Guru Sahib tells us that there is only ‘1 Master’ to whom we, along with entire creation, belong.
2. siq nwm - sat naam
For communication needs this ‘1 and the only Master’ is given the name ‘Sat’ i.e. essence.
My understanding:
For communication among the humans, it is essential for us to assign some arbitrary verbal identification which we call name. Each word that we have in any language has a content which we call meaning. Here Guru Sahib was called upon to give a name to an entity which is limitless, infinite, free and uncontainable ‘The Absolute Master’ i.e. <> - ik-oNkaar . All that the sum totals of all the words of all the languages of the world together covey are not sufficient to convey the idea this entity. The entire creation living and non living, in form or formless, in tangible of intangible domains are contained in this uncontainable entity Guru Sahib was called upon to name and yet the reader should not get confused or misdirected by it !! a difficult task it was.
Languages arose from the need of the living entities to communicate with one another. They are utilitarian in nature, the have words only for entities what exist in their current knowledge base. The knowledge of ‘The Sat’ is rare and not a part of that knowledge base. Languages cannot create a word that can contain the entity that Guru Sahib knew from his personal experience. Further more Guru Sahib knew that the entity that he is called upon to define is formless and thus difficult to explain to the commoners.
Thus it was not possible to create the word to describe this Formless, Infinite, Free and Absolute entity, which is unchanging and timeless. Yet there has to be some verbal articulation of this ‘Absolute’
As I understand, Guru Sahib found a new route to solve this difficulty. Guru Sahib knew that the entity under reference is the one which cannot be dissolved, destroyed or created and is the essence of all that exists or ever existed or will exist. For this there is a word i.e. ‘Sat’, which is abstract and does not evoke any image in any mind and thus represents the formless. As I understand, Guru Sahib decided to gave ‘Sat’ as the name to this entity and he said ‘Satnam’. To me it means its name is ‘The Sat’. It is with this understanding that I refer to this Absolute as ‘The Sat’ in my posts.
3. krqw purKu - kartaa Purakh
This ‘1 and the only Master’ is the spirit behind all that happens
My understanding:
Purakh is the Punjabi word which come from the Sanskrit word Purusha. In earlier times it was used to suggest the person - motivator or spirit – behind any action. It was applied to any entity. In subsequent times it became used for men in patriarchal society. It is my conviction that Guru Sahib has used the word Purakh in a manner it was used in the earliest times i.e. the spirit. This way Karta Purakh, as I understand, means the doer spirit.
I am further convinced about my understanding because I find that ‘The Sat’ gets every thing done through its elements of creation – living and non living; it never intervenes directly.
Not with standing what is written in ancient scripture of the land, I do not find any direct intervention by ‘The Sat’ in what atrocities were committed on Indians by Moghul rulers, on Jews by Nazis during second world war, what happened in Cambodia during Pol Pot regime, what happened to Sikhs during 1984, what happened in Bosnia, what happened is Gujarat, what is happening in Africa …….. None of us can say that during the difficult period there was not even a single person, undergoing atrocities, which had not appeal to Almighty for help and seek destruction of the oppressors. All this convinces me that ‘The Sat’ does not intervene directly in our worldly matters; “the Sat’ has given us all the physical and mental capabilities to manage our worldly affairs. It sets the thing right through its instruments in the creation in which Humans are the most potent one. Thus, I hold the opinion that acting as a true instrument of ‘The Sat’ is purpose of our born in human form. ‘The Sat is the spirit behind all actions; thus The Sat’ is Karta Purakh, the spirit behind all actions.
4. inrBau inrvYru - nirbha-o nirvair
This ‘1 and the only Master’ is free from Fear and Enmity.
My understanding:
Fear and enmity, these are the two emotions. The former make the person align to the demands of the strong and the later make the person with hold what is legitimately due to the second person.
Guru Sahib makes it very clear to us that ‘The Sat’ is not subjected to such emotions; ‘The Sat’ is free from these emotions and is fair to all.
It is my very personal understanding that ‘The Sat’ is free from any of such human emotion; ‘The Sat’ is above all. The laws of nature and the laws of Karma impact on all worldly entities. ‘The Sat’ supports live in a Sage and also in the evil doer; both are impacted by the law of Karma as long as the ‘I-ness’ in them remains.
5. Akwl mUriq - akaal moorat
This ‘1 and the only Master’ is independent of time
My understanding:
Kaal is an entity with devour all worldly entities, it is considered to be the ‘Time’. Guru Sahib tells us that ‘The Sat’ is independent of ‘Time’.
As I understand, time is the entity that elapses between two events; it applies to the changing world. ‘The Sat’, which is ‘Sthir’ (unchangeable) and Akshar (that cannot be destroyed or dissolved), remains the same all the time. It is independent of time. Time is a derived dimension resulting from the evolving creation. It is the way of creation to renew and evolve itself. It is not and independent entity for the One who designed creation i.e. ‘The Sat’
6. AjUnI – ajoonee
This ‘1 and the only Master’ does not get embodied, it does not take birth.
My understanding:
Guru Sahib tells us that ‘The Sat’ does not take birth. This make ‘The Sat’ an entity that is different from those who are embodied, like us. All this has connotations. Since ‘The Sat’ does not take birth it means in Sikhi there are neither ‘Avatars’ nor God and Goddesses (these are all embodied) as there are in many other religions. Another connotation is that ‘The Sat’ is Genderless as gender is needed only for procreation; another connotation is that since it is the birth that gives a specific body and ‘The Sat’ does not take birth hence ‘The Sat’ is formless.
7. sYB - saibhaN
This ‘1 And the only Master’ exists on its own
My understanding:
Guru Sahib had anticipated the question that will come to any thinking mind, if ‘The Sat’ does not take birth then how it is in existence. Guru Sahib has given the answer that ‘The Sat’ exists on its own. This need lots of mental deliberation to conceptualise how can ‘The Sat’ exists on its own, but it is so as guru sahib has said, one has to achieve spiritual height to realise this fact.
8. gur pRswid - gur parsaad
Embodied entities, like humans are, can be one with this ‘1 and only Master’ with the grace of this master.
My understanding:
All the time this only Master ‘The Sat’ is within us, it is all the time telling us what is right and what is wrong, yet it gives us total freedom of action. It is for us to take the line which we want, which we take based on our understanding and past karmic disposition. ‘The Sat’ allows the Karmic processes to impact on the embodied. With lots of knocks in life or otherwise when the person realises that the path it was treading was not right it come back to its source i.e. ‘The Sat’ and listen to what it is saying. Once the person has latched on to the voice of truth that comes from its own inner self (which is nothing but ‘The Sat’) and the individual’s past Karmic disposition allows it to follow this voice of truth, the gap in actions between the individual and its inner self starts diminishing. To me the impact of karmic process on the individual and the guidance of the voice of truth from the individual’s inner self brings the person to the right truthful disposition; for both of these elements which bring about the correction, ‘The Sat’ is the source. I understand this to be the grace of ‘The Sat’.
Once the Grace of ‘The Sat’ has started flowing towards an individual, to which heights this individual avails this grace is totally dependent of the individual being graced by ‘The Sat’. Availing this grace, following the voice of truth coming from the inner self and translating it into right action the individual evolves. Continuing with this process ultimately, the being of the individual and ‘The Sat’ become one and the same.
This is what I understand from the term ‘Gurparsadee’.
This is my understanding of the ‘Mool Mantra’ of Siri Guru Granth Sahib.
With this I close the post
With love and respect for all.
Amarpal Singh
Punjab
