? (ik o-a?kaar)
Meaning: noun: The One Supreme Reality, Entity, Being or Force.
Quote:
? ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ????????
ik o-a?kaar sat naam kartaa purakh nir-bhau nir-vair
akaal moorat ajoonee sai-bha? gur prasaad.
There is one Supreme Reality/Entity. Its name is eternal. It is the creator of everything and pervades everywhere. It knows no fear. It has no hatred or enmity. It is beyond time. It does not take birth and is self-existent. It is realised through the beneficence of the Guru (divine wisdom). – Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, Page 01
Message: There is a constant, all-capable and all-pervading divine Force working throughout the universe � creating, sustaining and recreating everything. It is beyond any fear, hatred or animosity. It is beyond birth and death. By acquiring divine wisdom, we can realise that we are all part of this divine Force.
Our lives must reflect the qualities of this timeless, eternal Being in whom we are anchored: be creative, fearless and without malice as we go about the business of our life.
Keen to Explore Further?
The Guru Granth Sahib opens with this commencing verse commonly known as the mool mantar. This is Guru Nanak’s acknowledgement of his revelation and experience of the mystical Truth, expressed in words – insofar as It can be captured in language. �
The concepts in the commencing verse are profound and may appear to be difficult to comprehend, but that should not discourage us. The way to understanding is hinted at in the verse itself: gur prasaad or invoking the grace of the Guru or the guidance of Gurbani.
Part of the genius of the Gurus lay in being able to use conventional forms to deliver a radically different message. The Jap Ji, as we shall see, offers examples of using conventional forms and existing terminology, but infusing a radically different meaning and perspective.
ik o-a?kaar – One Being – One Reality or One Force
The use of a numeral to symbolize the One Ultimate Reality illustrates how Guru Nanak has used a conventional form – in this case, a number – to deploy a new meaning.
By affixing the numeral �1� before �oa?kaar� (the Primal Being), Guru Nanak swept aside the traditional representation of It as the trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as the conglomeration that are believed to be representing the creative, regenerative and destructive processes of the cosmos, respectively).
Instead, Guru Nanak pointed to the One, �ik�, represented by the symbol �ik oa?kaar�, as alone being worthy of worship. The extended line above the �oo?aa� denotes infinity or endlessness (in Punjabi, ik ras).
sat naam – the true existence – the essence of all existence
Naam is the central doctrine in the Guru Granth Sahib. It comes wrapped in manifold layers of meaning, usage and nuance that cut across linguistics, philosophy and mystical symbolism. Only a tentative sketch can be attempted here – if at all.
Naam, literally �name�, represents the essence, spirit or existence of the thing named. Sat denotes true or eternal. Put together, sat naam becomes the true existence or true essence of all existence.
In Gurbani, naam has been used variously as the very essence of creation, the methodology for self-realisation, the creative intent of the Divine, and ultimately the Supreme Reality Itself.
kartaa purakh – creator and all-pervading
The word kartaa signifies a doer and is used here to mean that the One is the Creator. Purakh is used in multiple ways in Gurbani: as signifying a masculine person (or form); as the motivator, one who gives the life force; and omnipresent (or all-pervading). The use of the word purakh for the Divine should not mislead us into believing that It is a person. Here, the term signifies the Cosmic Being, the One Reality without form that permeates everything. It is both the creator (kartaa � the doer, giving the life force) as well as all-pervading (purakh – existing in all things and beings, in all forms).
For Guru Nanak, the Divine is purakh in the sense that it is infused in its own creation, like the wave in the ocean.
nir-bhau nir-vair – without fear and without malice
Fear is a built-in human trait and malice is its by-product. The fear of physical death is constantly upon us, inspired by our limited, finite sense of self. In our mistaken zeal, we become grasping, attaching ourselves to things, people, titles, and money. Malice is naturally associated with fear. No fear, no malice.
The Divine, being a complete entity, does not share these traits with us.
akaal moorat – timeless form
The Divine is not subject to time, which is another way of saying that the Divine is not terrestrial, is not subject to the degradation and recycling inherent in a three dimensional existence. Moorat or form (image) emphasizes existence.
ajoonee sai-bhang – unborn and self-caused
Yet, the Divine does not incarnate or take birth in any form or person as opposed to the traditional thought that the Divine incarnates in the form of some deity. The Divine is self-existent, self-illuminated. To be unborn (ajoonee) is akin also to being uncaused, or self-caused (sai-bhang) in this case.
gur prasaad � through the Guru�s grace
This revelation (as expressed by Guru Nanak) is open to all of us through the grace of the Guru, the Guide, the Enlightener i.e. through divine guidance or wisdom of Gurbani.
