Mool Mantar
The Mool Mantar
The Mool Mantar is the most important composition contained within the Sri Guru Granth Sahib; it is the basis of Sikhism. It’s importance is emphasised by the fact that it is the first composition to appear in the SGGS and that it appears before the commencement of most of the Raags within the SGGS.
The Mool Mantar is said to be the first composition uttered by Guru Nanak Dev ji upon enlightenment (see 3 Days in the River) at the age of 30. Being the basis of Sikhism it encapsulate the entire theology of Sikhism, and as a result, it is also the most difficult composition to fully understand. The proceeding Japji Sahib and the rest of the SGGS totalling 1430 pages, are efforts to explain that which is contained within the Mool Mantar.
Ek Oankaar ੴ
Literally : There is only One God.
There is but one God, the Sole Supreme Being, the Ultimate Reality. The number one denotes that God is non-dual (advait). Bhai Gurdas writes, "By writing 1 (one) in the begining, it has been shown that EkOnakar, God, who subsumes all forms in Him is only One (and not two or three)" The number one also affirms His being a personality and not merely Shunya or void.
The negation of duality implies Absoluteness of God's Bring. Being Absolute, God cannot be comprehended by the mind. 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 man's mind. A laymans example of this is in imagining distances: one could quite easily indicate that a metre in height is so high; even two or three metres. However when we come 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 highs, this tree is so high etc
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 man. But, in spite of manifesting Himself diversing, God remains One; He remains Immanent in His Creation, while at the same time remaining 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."
Satnam | ਸਤਿਨਾਮ
Literally : His Name is Truth
Sat
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 was, 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 arts, 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.
Naam
Naam literally means, the Name. A fuller definition of the word can only be found within the SGGS itself. Naam is God’s Word, or the Divine Essence. Etymologically, the word has a striking resemblence 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 Sabad 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 for 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 is consistent with a fundamental principle of physics that sound vibrations, when increased several fold, change into waves of light.
This Essence / Naam / Sabad is formless, colourless, and featureless but, as said, is present in all creation. There is no plant, no creature, in what it is not. 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 appearences 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.
As we cannot focus our mind or attention on God, who is Absolute, or even on Naam, the invisible Essence, the Name of God is the only medium available to us for approaching Him. When we recite God’s Name, and sing the Praises of God (Kirtan) we evoke within ourselves His Glories and Excellences. Thus, it is through the Name of God that we are able to think of Him, to remember Him. In other words, the Name of God 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 continous recitation of and attentive listening to the Name of God focuses our mind on the object of invocation, resulting in a ceaseless rememberence of God (dhiaan). This Dhiaan, in turn, results in complete absorption of our conciousness 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 His the Essence of God pervading throughout His Creation.
For Sikhs, the Name of God given, the Gurmantar, is Waheguru (literally wondrous enlightener). The Gurmantar is given on Amrit Sanchar (initiation) by the Panj Pyare. The Initate is to repeatedly recite the Gurmantar, and to cherish it in the heart all the time – this is the essence of prayer and devotion to God.
In Gurbani, the word Gursabad or Sabad is synonymous with Gurmantar. Without ceaseless recitation of Gurmantar, Naam cannot be revealed. (insert quotes)
Karta Purakh | ਕਰਤਾ ਪਰਖ
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 eachs one's inner mind, and Omnipotent, doing everything everywhere - evoluting, sustaining, and involuting.
Nirbhao | ਨਿਰਭਉ
God is without fear: Origin of fear is possible only if there is another being besides Him. 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.
Nirvair | ਨਿਰਵੈਰ
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.
Akaal Moorat | ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ
God is a Being beyond time: An Eternal, Indestructible Entity.
Ajoonee | ਅਜੂਨੀ
God is Unborn, Uncreated, Beyond Incarnation: He Himself, being the Primal Being, no being prior to Him can be conceived.
Saibhang | ਸੈਭੰ
Self-illumined; He is from Himself, Self-existent, and Self-sufficient.
Gur Prasaad | ਗਰ ਪਰਸਾਦਿ
He is attained by the Grace of the Enlightener.
- Gur stands for Master; Spiritual Teacher; Guide;
- Prasaad means blessings; gift; Grace; 'Bakshish'
- With the Guru's Blessings
References
- Singh, Dr.Santokh (1990). English Transliteration and Interpretation of Nitnaym Baanees, Sikh Prayers for English Speaking Sikh Youth. Sikh Resource Centre. ISBN 1895471087.
- Singh, Dr.Gopal (1962). Guru-Granth Sahib Vol.1. Taplinger Publishing Co.. ISBN.
- Singh, Dalip (1999). Sikhism in the Words of the Guru. Lok Sahit Prakashan. ISBN B0000CPD3S.
- Shackle, C (1981). A Guru Nanak Glossary. School of Oriental and African Studies. ISBN 07286002431.
- Osho (1994). The True Name, Vol.1 : Discouses on Japji Sahib of Guru Nanak Dev. New Age International(P) Ltd. ISBN 8122406068.
External Links
- To see the holy book in it original text follow this link: Gurbani.net
- To see the holy book in it original text with translation follow this link: Sikhi to the Max
