Ik Onkār,[1] a Sikh symbol (encoded as a single character in Unicode at U+0A74, ੴ)
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Ik Onkar, also spelled Ek Onkar or Ik Oankaar (Gurmukhi: ੴ or ਇੱਕ ਓਅੰਕਾਰ; Punjabi pronunciation: [ɪkː oːəŋkaːɾᵊ]); literally, "one Om",[2][3][4][5] hence interpreted as "There is only one God[6] or one Creator"[7]) is a phrase in Sikhism that denotes the one supreme reality.[8] It is a central tenet of Sikh religious philosophy.[1]

Ik Onkar are the first words of the Mul Mantar and also the opening words of the Sikh holy scripture Guru Granth Sahib.[9] The first symbol "ik" is actually not a word but the Punjabi symbol for the number 1.[10][11]

Ik (ਇੱਕ) is interpreted as "one and only one, who cannot be compared or contrasted with any other",[12] the "unmanifest, Lord in power, the holy word, the primal manifestation of the Godhead by which and in which all live, move and have their being and by which all find a way back to Absolute God, the Supreme Reality."[13]

Ik Onkar has a distinct spelling in the Gurmukhi script[14] and the phrase is found in many Sikh religious scriptures and inscribed in places of worship such as gurdwaras.[15][16][17]

In Mul Mantar

Mul Mantar written by Guru Har Rai, showing the Ik Onkar at top.

Ik Onkar is also the opening phrase of the Mul Mantar, present as opening phrase in the Guru Granth Sahib, and the first composition of Guru Nanak and the final salok is by Guru Angad. Further, the Mul Mantar is also at the beginning of the Japji Sahib, followed by 38 hymns and a final Salok by Guru Angad at the end of this composition.[18]

Description

300-year-old Guru Granth Sahib manuscript found in a village of Maharashtra. The Ik Onkar (ੴ) written calligraphically is notable

Ik Onkar is the statement of oneness in Sikhism, that is 'there is one God'.[20][21]

According to Wendy Doniger, the phrase is a compound of ik ("one" in Punjabi) and onkar, canonically understood in Sikhism to refer to "absolute monotheistic unity of God".[9] Etymologically, the word onkar denotes the sacred sound "om" or the absolute in a number of Indian religions.[9] Nevertheless, Sikhs give it an entirely different meaning.[9][22][23] Pashaura Singh writes that "the meaning of Oankar in the Sikh tradition is quite different in certain respects from the various interpretations of this word in the Indian philosophical traditions",[22] and the Sikhs "rather view Oankar as pointing to the distinctively Sikh theological emphasis on the ineffable quality of God, who is described as 'the Person beyond time,' the Eternal One, or 'the One without form'."[9] Onkar is, according to Wazir Singh, a "variation of Om (Aum) of the ancient Indian scriptures (with a slight change in its orthography), implying the seed-force that evolves as the universe."[24] Guru Nanak wrote a poem entitled Oankar in which, states Doniger, he "attributed the origin and sense of speech to the Divinity, who is thus the Om-maker".[9]

Oankar ('One, whose expression emerges as the primal sound') created Brahma. Oankar fashioned the consciousness. From oankar came mountains and ages. Oankar produced the Vedas. By the grace of oankar, people were saved through the divine word. By the grace of oankar, they were liberated through the teachings of the Guru.

— Ramakali Dakkhani, Adi Granth 929-930, Translated by Pashaura Singh[25]
Artwork from a folio of a Janamsakhi manuscript explaining the meaning of Ik Onkar using a traditional theory, involving symbolism from Indic deities

Pashaura Singh goes on to state,

"By beginning with 'One,' Guru Nanak emphasizes the singularity of the Divine. That is, the numeral '1' affirms that the Supreme Being is one without a second, the source as well as the goal of all that exists. That is quite evident from the following statement: 'My Master (Sahib) is the One. He is the One, brother, and He alone exists' (AG 350). In a particularly striking instance, Guru Arjan employs the cognates of the Punjabi word ikk ('One') five time in a single line of his Asa hymn to make an emphatic statement of oneness of the Supreme Being: 'By itself the One is just One, One and only One, and the One is the source of all creation.'[22]

He also considers the process of reification of the concept of Ik Oankar as having begun with the writings of Guru Nanak and Guru Arjan themselves,[26] with the numeral ੧ (one) as emphasizing the unity of Akal Purakh in monotheistic terms.[26]

Other common terms for the one supreme reality alongside Ik Oankar, dating from the Gurus' time include the most commonly used term,[22] Akal Purakh, "Eternal One," in the sense of Nirankar, "the One without form," and Waheguru ("Wonderful Sovereign").[22]

Depictions

In 2019, Air India launched a direct flight from London to Amritsar with the phrase Ik Onkar printed in golden colour with a red background, on the tail of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The plane was launched ahead of and in honour of the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak’s birth.[27]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Rose, David (2012). Sikhism photopack. Fu Ltd. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-85276-769-3.
  2. ↑ Girardot, Norman (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. p. 500. ISBN 9780877790440. Oankar corresponds to the Sanskrit term Om.....Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh tradition, wrote a long composition entitled "Oankar", in which he attributed the origin and sense of speech to the Divinity, who is thus the "Om Maker"
  3. ↑ Historical Dictionary of Sikhism (2nd ed.). p. 97. 'Oankar' is actually a cognate of "Om" and can carry the same mystical meaning
  4. ↑ Oxtoby, Willard G. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. Oxford University Press. p. 191. On the other hand, Nanak refers to God as Onkar, 'the expression of Om', that is, of the sacred syllable of the Hindus, a conception that actively continues as Ik Onkar, 'the one om expression'.
  5. ↑ Hawley, John Stratton (2004). Songs of the Saints of India. Oxford University Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-19-569420-8. It is the diagram that emerges when the first two words of the Adi Granth-words attributed to Nanak-are written together in Punjabi script. The words are ek omkar- "1 Omkar" or simply "1 OM"- and they are almost always interpreted as meaning that God, who is signified by the mysterious syllable OM, is one.
  6. ↑ Singh, Jagraj (2009). A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. p. 204. ISBN 9788171427543.
  7. ↑ Nayar, Dr Kamala Elizabeth (16 April 2020). The Sikh View on Happiness Guru Arjan's Sukhmani. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781350139893.
  8. ↑ "Basic Articles". SGPC. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Doniger, Wendy (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. p. 500. ISBN 978-0-87779-044-0. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
  10. ↑ "Numbers in Punjabi".
  11. ↑ "Mool Mantar Part 1 Ik". YouTube.
  12. ↑ "ਇੱਕ - meaning in English". Shabdkosh. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  13. ↑ Dogra, Ramesh Chander, and Gobind Singh Mansukhani. Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture. pp 138–39: "Ek-Omkār / Ik-Omkār / Ekankār It is from the Sanskrit word Omkar. The mystic name of God. It is used at the beginning of prayers and holy recitations, and also at the beginning of writing respectful salutations. The unmanifest, God in power, the holy word, the primal manifestation of Godhead by which and in which all live, move and have their being and by which all find a way back to Absolute God. God is the Supreme Reality. His other name is 'Sat Nām'. The Sikhs meditate on God as Ek-Omkar, and not in any other way like worship of idols “Rām Nām Jap Ek-Omkar". (GGS, p. 185) Ek Omkar is the Transcendent Lord of entire creation, who existed before the creation and who alone will survive the creation. (GGS, pp. 296 and 930, and Bhai Gurdas Var, 4011.)"
  14. ↑ David Rose, Gill Rose (2003). Sacred Texts photopack. Folens Limited. p. 12. ISBN 1-84303-443-3.
  15. ↑ Signs and Symbols. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2019. ISBN 978 0 2413 8704 7. p. 185. "Ek Onkar Meaning 'God is one', these first two words in the Guru Granth Sahib are the ones most repeated by Sikhs. They are one of the cornerstones of Sikhism, and in their written form make up one of the most famous symbols of the Sikh religion."
  16. ↑ Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions. 2006. ISBN 978-1-59339-491-2. p. 500: "IK OANKAR (Punjabi: 'God is One'), expression or invocation that opens the ADI GRANTH, the primary SCRIPTURE of SIKHISM. The expression is a compound of the numeral 1 and the letter that represents the sound “o” in Gurmukhi, the writing system developed by the Sikhs for their sacred literature. Referring to the Sikh understanding of the absolute monotheistic unity of God, the expression is the central symbol of Sikhism."
  17. ↑ McLeod, W. H. 2005. Historical Dictionary of Sikhism (2nd ed.), Lanham, MD: Scarecrow. p. 97: "IK-OANKAR. A popular emblem used by Sikhs, a combination of the Gurmukhi figure 1 and the letter O, taken from the Adi Granth, where it is employed as the first part of various invocations. It represents the unity of God ('One Oankar' or One Being). The emblem is a common feature of Sikh logos and frequently appears on buildings, clothing, books, letterheads, and so on. 'Oankar' is actually a cognate of “Om” and can carry the same mystical meaning. Many Sikhs, however, object to any suggestion that they are the same word. For them 'Om' is Hindu whereas 'Oankar' is Sikh."
  18. ↑ Arvind Mandair (2008), Shared Idioms, Sacred Symbols, and the Articulation of Identities in South Asia (Editor: Kelly Pemberton), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415958288, page 61
  19. ↑ Nesbitt, Eleanor (2018), "Sikhism", The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology, Oxford, UK: Wiley Blackwell, pp. 1–12, doi:10.1002/9781118924396.wbiea2186, ISBN 978-0-470-65722-5
  20. ↑ Singh, Wazir (1969). Aspects of Guru Nanak's philosophy. Lahore Book Shop. p. 20. Retrieved 2015-09-17. the 'a,' 'u,' and 'm' of aum have also been explained as signifying the three principles of creation, sustenance and annihilation. ... aumkār in relation to existence implies plurality, ... but its substitute Ekonkar definitely implies singularity in spite of the seeming multiplicity of existence. ...
  21. ↑ Singh, Khushwant (2002). "The Sikhs". In Kitagawa, Joseph Mitsuo (ed.). The Religious Traditions of Asia: religion, history, and culture. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 114. ISBN 0-7007-1762-5.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Singh, Pashaura. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies, editors by P. Singh and L. E. Fenech. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199699308. p. 227.
  23. ↑ "It should be however, be emphasized that the meaning of oankar in the Sikh tradition is quite different in certain respects from the various interpretations of this word in the Indian philosophical traditions." (Pashaura Singh 2006: 247)
  24. ↑ Wazir Singh (1969), Guru Nanak's philosophy, Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 1, Issue 1, page 56
  25. ↑ Pashaura Singh (2014), in The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (Editors: Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199699308, page 227
  26. 1 2 Pashaura Singh (2000). The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority. Oxford University Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-19-564894-2.
  27. ↑ "Air India Paints Sikh Symbol On Aircraft In Tribute To Guru Nanak". NDTV.com. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
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