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{{Short description|Sikh conception of God}}
{{ConceptionsofGod}}
[[File:Ek onkar.svg|thumb|The Sikh Symbol "[[Ik Onkar]]", often used to symbolize God in Sikhism]]
The fundamental belief of [[Sikhism]] is that God exists, not merely as an idea but as a Real Entity, indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who is prepared to dedicate the time and energy to become perceptive to His/Her persona. The [Gurus]never spoke about proofs of the existence of God: For them He/She(God in Sikhism does not have a gender) is too real and obvious to need any logical proof.
In [[Sikhism]], [[God]] is conceived as the [[Monism#Sikhism|Oneness]] that permeates the entirety of creation and beyond. It abides within all of creation<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/beliefs/beliefs.shtml|title=BBC – Religions – Sikhism: Sikh Beliefs|access-date=2017-12-07}}</ref> as symbolized by the symbol [[Ik Onkar]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sikhs.org/art1.htm|title=Sikhism Religion of the Sikh People|website=www.sikhs.org|access-date=2017-12-07}}</ref> The One is indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who surrenders their egoism and meditates upon that Oneness.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/different-names-of-god-incorporated-in-sri-guru-granth-sahib-ji|title=Different Names of GOD incorporated in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji|website=www.speakingtree.in|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref> The [[Sikh gurus]] have described God in numerous ways in their hymns included in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], the [[holy scripture]] of [[Sikhism]], but the oneness of formless God is consistently emphasized throughout.


God is described in the [[Mul Mantar]] (lit. the Prime Utterance),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indif.com/nri/sikhism/mool_mantra.asp|title=The Sikh Mool Mantra – Ik Omkar|last=Indif.com|website=www.indif.com|access-date=2017-12-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/god/sikhismrev2.shtml|title=BBC – GCSE Bitesize: The Mool Mantar|access-date=2017-12-07}}</ref> the first passage in the Guru Granth Sahib:
[[Guru Arjan]], Nanak V, says, "'God is beyond colour and form, yet His/Her presence is clearly visible"' (GG, 74), and again, '"Nanak's Lord transcends the world as well as the scriptures of the east and the west, and yet He/She is clearly manifest'" (GG, 397).
{{Sikhism sidebar}}
{{Quote|ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ <br />ikk ōankār sat(i)-nām(u) karatā purakh(u) nirabha'u niravair(u) akāla mūrat(i) ajūnī saibhan<small>(g)</small> gur(a) prasād(i).<br />There is only one God, and It is called the truth, It exists in all creation, and It has no fear, It does not hate, and It is timeless, universal and self-existent! You will come to know it through the grace of the Guru.|[https://www.searchgurbani.com/guru-granth-sahib/ang-by-ang Sri Guru Granth Sahib], page 1|title=|source=}}


== General conceptions ==
In any case, knowledge of the ultimate Reality is not a matter for reason; it comes by revelation of the ultimate reality through "nadar" or grace and by "anubhava" or mystical experience. Says [[Guru Nanak]], ''budhi pathi na paiai bahu chaturaiai bhai milai mani bhane which translates to "He/She is not accessible through intellect, or through mere scholarship or cleverness at argument; He/She is met, when He/She pleases, through devotion" (GG, 436).


=== Monotheism ===
[[Sikhism]] as a religion is uncompromisingly monotheistic. The [[Gurus]] have described God in numerous ways in their hymns included in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], but the oneness of the deity is consistently emphasized throughout. Briefly, God for the [[Sikh]]s as described in the [[Mool Mantar]], the first passage in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] and the basic formula of the faith is:
Sikhi is [[monotheistic]] and believes that there is only One God. [[Guru Nanak]], the founder of Sikhi strongly denounces any type of ''Pakhand'' (hypocrisy or duality). Nanak prefixed the numeral "IK" (one) to the syllable Onkar to stress the idea of God's oneness; that the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer is One.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=http://fateh.sikhnet.com//sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/3a6e0d8facb2ed8c87256623002a5e2d|title=Sikhism and Monotheism|website=fateh.sikhnet.com|access-date=2017-12-10}}</ref> Sikh thought begins with the One Almighty and then universalising God, coming down to the cosmic reality of all-pervading creator.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective|title=Guru Granth A Perspective|last=www.DiscoverSikhism.com|pages=[https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective/page/n148 138]|chapter=Monotheism in Guru Granth Sahib}}</ref> While God is described as without gender, God is also described through numerous metaphors, such as:
{{Quote|text=ਏਕੁ ਪਿਤਾ ਏਕਸ ਕੇ ਹਮ ਬਾਰਿਕ ਤੂ ਮੇਰਾ ਗੁਰ ਹਾਈ ॥


"Ek(u) pitaa ekas ke ham baarik"
{{Quoter| ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ <br>
Ik oankar satinamu karta purakhu nirbhau nirvairu akal murati ajuni saibhan gurprasadi <br>
translates to <br>
One Universal Creator God,The Name Is Truth,Creative Being Personified,No Fear,No Hatred,Image Of <br>
The Timeless One,Beyond Birth,Self Existent,By Guru's Grace.|(GG. Pg 1)}}


"The One God is the Father of all;
[[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. Almost all names are attributive. The only name which can be said to truly fit GOD's transcendent state is Sat or Satnam (Sanskrit meaning TRUTH ), the changeless and timeless Reality. GOD is transcendent and all-pervasive at the same time. Transcendence and immanence are two aspects of the same single Supreme Reality. The Reality is immanent in the entire creation, but the creation as a whole fails to contain GOD fully. As says [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], Nanak IX, "He has himself spread out His/Her Own "maya" (worldly illusion) which He oversees; many different forms He assumes in many colours, yet He stays independent of all" (GG, 537).
We are His children."|sign=SGGS. Ang (limb) 611}}


=== Panentheism ===
God is Karta Purakh, the Creator-Being. He created the spatial-temporal universe not from some pre-existing physical element, but from His/Her 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/Her 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/Her and not vice versa. God is immanent in the created world, but is not limited by it. “Many times He expands Himself/Herself 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/Her play which He witnesses, and when He rolls up the play, He is His/Her sole Self again" (GG, 292). He is the Creator, Sustainer and the Destroyer.


Some scholars have defined Sikhism's conceptualization of God as a form of [[panentheism]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Takhar |first1=Opinderjit Kaur |title=Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781351900102 |quote=Since the Sikh concept of the divine is panentheistic, the divine is always greater than the created universe, its systems such as karma and samsara, and all phenomena within it. In Sikhism, due to the sovereignty of God, the doctrines of Nadar and Hukam override all systems, both concepts reinforcing panentheism. Hence one becomes a jivanmukt only in accordance with the Hukam.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Reynolds |first1=William M. |last2=Webber |first2=Julie A. |title=Expanding Curriculum Theory: Dis/positions and Lines of Flight |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135621278 |page=90 |quote=Like the God-of-process theologians in the West (Whitehead, Cobb, Griffin, Hartshorne), the God of Sikhism is a dynamic God, a process moving within humankind, pervasive within the hearts of people, yet transcendent and eternal. The Sikh God is one with whom devotees become wholly absorbed: "As the fish, I find the life of absorption in the water that is God" (Sri Guru Granth. 1988, p. 166). As the fish is absorbed in the water that is God, the soul is absorbed in the lightness that is God. The fish, even though absorbed in the water that is God, does not lose its fishness, its fish identity-formation, even though absorbed in the light that is God. A panentheistic system, such as Sikhsim, allows the soul to retain its soulness while merging with God. The soul, in other words, is not identical with God, even after merging with God, but one might say God is part of the soul. A strict identity soul = God is incarnationism and this is considered anathema in Sikhism. The Granth uses the beloved/lover metaphor for the relation of the self to God. God is the beloved and the devo tee is the lover. The lover retains her identity yet merges with her beloved.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Pashaura |last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |title=The Sikh world |date=2023 |publisher=Routledge |location=London New York |isbn=9780429848384 |quote=In looking at the teachings of the Gurus as a whole, it seems that Lourdunathan overstates the degree to which Sikh scripture is anti-monistic. Guru Nanak famously referred to the world as a "palace of smoke" (GGS: 138) and made countless references to the idea of maya (Illusion). While the Gurus did not teach a radical nondualism, it is perhaps more accurate to suggest that some aspects of Sikh thought constitute a qualified nondualism (in which Creator and Creation are part of the same whole) (GGS: 125) or panentheism (in which the Creator pervades the natural world) (GGS: 24), while many others are monotheistic, including passages in Japji Sahib, where God is described as the King of Kings (GGS: 6). These different interpretations lend themselves to varying understandings of the relationship between the natural world and divinity.}}</ref>
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).


=== Priority Monism ===
Purakh added to Karta in the [[Mool Mantar]] is the Punjabi form of [[Sanskrit]] purusa, which literally means, besides man, male or person, "the primeval man as the soul and original source of the universe; the personal and animating principle; the supreme Being or Soul of the universe." Purakh in [[Mool Mantar]] is, therefore, none other than God the Creator. The term has nothing to do with the purusa of the Sankhya school of Indian philosophy where it is the spirit as a passive spectator of prakriti or creative force.
Sikhi complies with the concept of Priority [[Monism]], a view point that all existing things go back to a Source that is distinct from them.&nbsp;It is the belief that all that our senses comprehend is illusion; God is the sole reality. Forms being subject to Time, shall pass away. God's Reality alone is eternal and abiding.<ref name=":6" /> The thought is such that Aatmaa (soul) is born from and a reflection of ParamAatma( Supreme Soul),<ref name=":7">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/metaphysics/atma|title=ATMA|last=Gujral|first=Maninder S|work=The Sikh Encyclopedia -ਸਿੱਖ ਧਰਮ ਵਿਸ਼ਵਕੋਸ਼|access-date=2017-12-12|language=en-gb}}</ref> and would again merge into it just as water merges back into the water, like a drop of water merging with the ocean.


{{Quote|text=ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਮਹਿ ਜਲੁ ਆਇ ਖਟਾਨਾ ॥
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).


Ji'u Jala Mahi Jala Ā'i Khaṭānā {{!}}{{!}}
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.


As water comes to blend with water,
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).


ਤਿਉ ਜੋਤੀ ਸੰਗਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਮਾਨਾ ॥
Nevertheless, there are verses in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib that seem to support the teaching that God incarnated, on which the some Sanatan Sikhs call on, like:


Ti'u Jōtī Saṅi Jōti Samānā {{!}}{{!}}
ਜਗ ਅਉਰੁ ਨ ਯਾਹਿ ਮਹਾ ਤਮ ਮੈ ਅਵਤਾਰੁ ਉਜਾਗਰੁ ਆਨਿ ਕੀਅਉ ॥
jag aour n yaahi mehaa tham mai avathaar oujaagar aan keeao ||
In the great darkness of this world, the Lord revealed Himself, incarnated as Guru Arjun.


Their light blends into the Light.|sign=SGGS. Ang 278|source=}}
ਤਤੁ ਬਿਚਾਰੁ ਯਹੈ ਮਥੁਰਾ ਜਗ ਤਾਰਨ ਕਉ ਅਵਤਾਰੁ ਬਨਾਯਉ ॥
thath bichaar yehai mathhuraa jag thaaran ko avathaar banaayo ||
O Mat'huraa, consider this essential truth: to save the world, the Lord incarnated Himself.


God and Soul are identical in the same way as Fire and its sparks; fundamentally same as is stated in SatGuru Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, "Aatam meh Ram, Ram meh Aatam", which means "The Ultimate Eternal Lord is the soul and the soul is the Ultimate Eternal Lord". As from one stream, millions of waves arise and yet the waves, made of water, again become water; in the same way all souls have sprung from the Universal Being and would blend again into it.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rFm9_Jc1ykcC&q=atma+merges+in+parmatma+sikhism&pg=PA266|title=A Complete Guide to Sikhism|last=Singh|first=Jagraj|date=2009|publisher=Unistar Books|isbn=9788171427543|pages=266|language=en}}</ref>
(GG 1409)


===Waheguru===
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.
There are frequent references to God in the perspective of all the various religions in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]]. The Guru Granth Sahib acknowledges perspectives of God in all religions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0&Param=1400|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101164351/http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0&Param=1400|archive-date=2020-01-01|title=Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib}}</ref> Guru Granth Sahib teaches that God is one almighty power.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=7&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101160630/http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=7&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0|archive-date=2020-01-01|title=Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib}}</ref>{{God|by religion}}


== Specific conceptions ==
God in [[Sikhism]] is thus depicted in three distinct aspects, viz. God in Himself, God in relation to creation, and God in relation to man. God by himself is the one Ultimate, Transcendent Reality, Nirguna (without attributes), Timeless, Boundless, Formless, Ever-existent, Immutable, Ineffable, All-by Himself and even Unknowable in His entirety. The only nomenclatures that can rightly be applied to Him in this state of [[sunn]] ([[Sanskrit]], sunya or void) are Brahman and Parbrahman ([[Sanskrit]], Parbrahman) or the pronouns He and Thou. During a discourse with Siddhas, Hindu recluses, [[Guru Nanak]] in reply to a question as to where the Transcendent God was before the stage of creation replies, "To think of the Transcendent Lord in that state is to enter the realm of wonder. Even at that stage of sunn, he permeated all that Void" (GG, 940). This is the state of God's sunn samadhi, self-absorbed trance.


=== Great Architect ===
When it pleases God, He becomes sarguna (Sanskrit, saguna, with attributes) and manifests Himself in creation. He becomes immanent in His created universe, which is His own emanation, an aspect of Himself. As says [[Guru Amar Das]], Nanak III, "This (so-called) poison, the world, that you see is God's picture; it is God's outline that we see" (GG, 922). Most names of God are His attributive, action-related signifiers, kirtam nam (GG, 1083) or karam nam ([[Dasam Granth]], [[Jaap Sahib]]). God in the [[Sikh Scripture]] has been referred to by several names, picked from Indian and semitic traditions. He is called in terms of human relations as father, mother, brother, relation, friend, lover, beloved, husband. Other names, expressive of His supremacy, are thakur, prabhu, svami, sah, patsah, sahib, sain (Lord, Master). Some traditional names are ram, narayan, govind, gopal, allah, khuda. Even the negative terms such as nirankar, niranjan et al. are as much related to attributes as are the positive terms like data, datar, karta, kartar, dayal, kripal, qadir, karim, etc. Some terms peculiar to [[Sikhism]] are [[naam]] (literally ''name''), sabad (literally ''word'') and [[Vahiguru]] (literally ''Wondrous Master''). While nam and sabad are mystical terms standing for the Divine manifestation and are used as substitute terms for the Supreme Being, [[Vahiguru]] is an ejaculatory phrase expressing awe, wonder and ecstatic joy of the worshipper as he comprehends the immenseness and grandeur of the Lord and His Creation.


Sikh philosophy believes that the Oneness is the Great Architect of Universe. It alone is the Creator, Sustain-er, and Destroyer; Ek.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/environment/sikhbeliefsrev1.shtml|title=BBC – GCSE Bitesize: The origins of the universe|page=1|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref> God is [[Karta Purakh]], the [[Creation deity|Creator-Being]]<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|url=https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/sikhism-articles/the-idea-of-the-supreme-being-god-in-sikhism|title=The Idea Of The Supreme Being (God) In Sikhism – Sikhism Articles – Gateway to Sikhism|work=Gateway to Sikhism|access-date=2017-12-13|language=en-gb}}</ref> who created the spatial-temporal Universe from their own Self; the Universe is their own [[Emanationism|emanation]]. [[Guru Arjan]] advocates: “The One is true and true is Its creation [because] all has emanated from God Itself” (SGGS Ang294).
Immanence or All-pervasiveness of God, however, does not limit or in any way affect His transcendence. He is Transcendent and Immanent at the same time. The Creation is His lila or cosmic play. He enjoys it, pervades it, yet Himself remains unattached. [[Guru Arjan]] describes Him in several hymns as "Unattached and Unentangled in the midst of all" (GG, 102, 294, 296); and "Amidst all, yet outside of all, free from love and hate" (GG, 784-85). Creation is His manifestation, but, being conditioned by space and time, it provides only a partial and imperfect glimpse of the Timeless and Boundless Supreme Being.


Before creation, God existed all alone as ''[[Nirgun]]'' (attributeless) in a state of ''Sunn Samadhi'', deep meditation, as says Guru Nanak.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gurmat.info/sms/smspublications/introductiontosikhism2/chapter2.html#How%20was%20the%20world%20created,%20according%20to%20Sikhism?|title=Introduction to Sikhism – Section II: God and His Universe|last=Munde|first=Amarpreet Singh|website=www.gurmat.info|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref>
That God is both Transcendent and Immanent does not mean that these are two phases of God one following the other. God is One, and He is both nirguna and sarguna. "Nirguna sargunu hari hari mera, (God, my God is both with and without attributes)," sang [[Guru Arjan]] (GG, 98). [[Guru Amar Das]] also had said, "Nirguna sarguna ape soi (He Himself is with as well as without attributes) " (GG, 128). Transcendence and Immanence are two aspects of the same Supreme Reality.


{{Quote|text="There was darkness for countless years.
The Creator also sustains His Creation compassionately and benevolently. "My Lord is ever Fresh and ever Bountiful" (GG, 660); "He is the eradicator of the pain and sorrow of the humble" (GG, 263-64). The universe is created, sustained and moved according to His hukam or Divine Will, and Divine purpose. "The inscrutable hukam is the source of all forms, all creatures. . . All are within the ambit of [[hukam]]; there is nothing outside of it." (GG, p. 1). Another principle that regulates the created beings is [[karma]] (actions, deeds). '''Simply stated, it is the law of cause and effect. The popular dictum "As one sows so shall one reap" is stressed again and again in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]]''' (GG, 134,176, 309, 316, 366, 706, 730).


There was neither earth nor sky; there was only Its Will.
The created world though real is not eternal. Whenever God desires, it merges back into His Timeless and Formless Self. [[Guru Gobind Singh]] calls this process of creation and dissolution udkarkh ([[Sanskrit]], utkarsana) and akarkh ([[Sanskrit]], akarsana), respectively: "Whenever you, O Creator, cause udkarkh (increase, expansion), the creation assumes the boundless body; whenever you effect akarkh (attraction, contraction), all corporeal existence merges in you" (Benati Chaupai). This process of creation and dissolution has been repeated God alone knows for how many times. A passage in the [[Sukhmani]] by [[Guru Arjan]] visualizes the infinite field of creation thus:


There was neither day nor night, neither sun nor moon.
{{Quoter|Millions are the mines of life; millions the spheres;


They (God) were in deep meditation.
Millions are the regions above; millions the regions below;
There was nothing except Itself."|sign=SGGS. Ang 1035|source=}}


Then, God willed and created the Universe, and diffused Itself into the nature as ''Sargun'' (with attributes).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/environment/sikhbeliefsrev3.shtml|title=BBC – GCSE Bitesize: Evolutionary biology|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref>
Millions are the species taking birth.


=== Creation ===
By diverse means does He spread Himself.
It is believed in Sikhi that the Universe was created by a single word of the God.<ref name=":8" /> Whilst the universe was created, a sound was produced as a result. The sound is noted in the first word in the Guru Granth Sahib – ੴ, Ik Oangkar. The syllable "Oang" is the sound that was created whilst the universe was created. The Transcendent God expressed themselves in "Naam" and "Sabad" that created the world. "Naam" and "Sabad" are the 'Creative and Dynamic Immanence of God'.<ref name=":5" />
{{Quote|text=ਕੀਤਾ ਪਸਾਉ ਏਕੋ ਕਵਾਉ ॥


Keethaa Pasaao Eieko Kavaao {{!}}{{!}}
Again and again did He expand Himself thus,


You created the vast expanse of the Universe with One Word!
But He ever remains the One Ekankar.


ਤਿਸ ਤੇ ਹੋਏ ਲਖ ਦਰੀਆਉ ॥
Countless creatures of various kinds


This Thae Hoeae Lakh Dhareeaao {{!}}{{!}}
Come out of Him and are absorbed back.


Hundreds of thousands of rivers began to flow.|sign=SGGS. Ang 3|source=}}
None can know the limit of His Being;


=== Creation of the universe ===
He, the Lord, O Nanak! is all in all Himself.|(GG. 275-76)}}
[[File:'Baba Nanak and Nirankara (formless reality, Waheguru, or the Supreme God)', Janamsakhi painting from a Kashmiri manuscript.jpg|thumb|'Baba Nanak and [[Nirankar]]a (formless reality, Waheguru, or the Supreme God)', early 19th century Janamsakhi painting from a Kashmiri manuscript]]
Sikh philosophy enunciates the belief that the limits of Time and Space are known only to God. Answers to the questions of "When did the Universe come into existence?" or "How big is this Universe?" are beyond human understanding. The best course, as Guru Nanak declares, is to admit a sense of wonderfulness or ''Vismad'', since "the featureless Void was in ceaseless Existence".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective|title=Guru Granth A Perspective|last=www.DiscoverSikhism.com|pages=[https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective/page/n139 129]|chapter=Cosmology in Guru Granth Sahib}}</ref> As to the Time of Creation, Nanak, in {{not a typo|Jap(u)}} Sahib, recites that:
{{Quote|text=What was that time, and what was that moment? What was that day, and what was that date?


What was that season, and what was that month, when the Universe was created?
Man, although an infinitesimal part of God's creation, yet stands apart from it insofar as it is the only species blessed with reflection, moral sense and potentiality for understanding matters metaphysical. In [[Sikhism]], human birth is both a special privilege for the soul and a rare chance for the realization of union with God. Man is lord of earth, as [[Guru Arjan]] says, "Of all the eight million and four hundred thousand species, God conferred superiority on man" (GG, 1075), and "All other species are your (man's) water-bearers; you have hegemony over this earth" (GG, 374). But [[Guru]] also reminds that "now that you (the soul) have got a human body, this is your turn to unite with God" (GG, 12, 378). [[Guru Nanak]] had warned, "Listen, listen to my advice, O my mind! only good deed shall endure, and there may not be another chance" (GG, 154). So, realization of God and a reunion of atma (soul) with paramatma (Supreme Soul, God) are the ultimate goals of human life. The achievement ultimately rests on nadar (God's grace), but man has to strive in order to deserve His grace. As a first step, he should have faith in and craving for the Lord. He should believe that God is near him, rather within his self, and not far away. He is to seek Him in his self.


The [[Pandit]]s, the religious scholars, cannot find that time, even if it is written in the [[Puranas]].
[[Guru Nanak]] says: "Your beloved is close to you, O foolish bride! What are you searching outside?" (GG, 722), and [[Guru Amar Das]] reassures: "Recognize yourself, O mind! You are the light manifest. Rejoice in [[Guru]]'s instruction that God is always with (in) you. If you recognize your Self, you shall know the Lord and shall get the knowledge of life and death" (GG, 441). The knowledge of the infinitesimal nature of his self when compared to the immenseness of God and His creation would instil humility in man and would rid him of his ego (a sense of I, my and mine) which is "the greatest malady man suffers from" (GG, 466, 589, 1258) and the arch-enemy of nam or path to God-Realization (GG, 560). Having surrendered his ego and having an intense desire to reach his goal (the realization of Reality), the seeker under [[Guru]]'s instruction (gurmati) becomes a [[gurmukh]] or person looking guruward. He meditates upon nam or sabda, the Divine Word, while yet leading life as a householder, earning through honest labour, sharing his victuals with the needy, and performing self-abnegating deeds of service. [[Sikhism]] condemns ritualism. Worship of God in the Sikh way of life consists in reciting [[gurbani]] or holy texts and meditation on nam, solitary or in [[sangat]] or congregation, [[kirtan]] or singing of scriptural hymns in praise of God, and [[ardas]] or prayer in supplication.


That time is not known to the [[Qadi|Qazi]]s, who study the [[Quran|Koran]].
== Sikhism attributes to God ==


The day and the date are not known to the [[Yogi]]s, nor is the month or the season.}}
Below are the main qualities that Sikhism attributes to God:


== Attributes ==
* '''Only God is worthy of worship and meditation at all times'''
=== Eternalness ===
* '''He is the Creator,Sustainer but also the Destroyer'''
God, as stated in the Guru Granth Sahib, is ''Akal Murat'', the Eternal Being;It is beyond time and ever the same.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective|title=Guru Granth A Perspective|last=www.DiscoverSikhism.com|pages=[https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective/page/n150 140]|chapter=Monotheism In SatGuru Granth Sahib}}</ref> "Saibhan(g)", another attribute to God means that no one else but God created the creation. They are, shall be, was not born, and will not die; never created and hence, shall never be destroyed.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective|title=Guru Granth A Perspective|last=www.DiscoverSikhism.com|pages=[https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective/page/n154 144]|chapter=Monotheism In Guru Granth Sahib}}</ref> The phrase "Ad(i) Sach", True in the Primal Beginning, in the Mool mantar proves the notion of the eternalness of God in Sikhi.
* '''God is Compassionate and Kind'''
* '''With His Grace, He comes to dwell within the mind and body'''
''Blessing us with His Grace, the Kind and Compassionate All-powerful Lord comes to dwell within the mind and body. ([[Guru Granth Sahib]] Page 49)''


=== Transcendence and Immanence ===
* ''' He is merciful and wise'''
Sikhi advocates a [[Panentheism|panentheistic]] tone when it enunciates the belief that God is both, [[transcendence (religion)|transcendent]] and [[immanence|immanent]], or "Nirgun" and "Sargun" (as stated in the Sikh terminology), at the same time. God created the Universe and permeates both within and without.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/sargun-nirgun-nirankar|title=Sargun Nirgun Nirankar|website=www.speakingtree.in|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref>
''The Cherisher Lord is so very merciful and wise; He is compassionate to all. ([[Guru Granth Sahib]] Page 249)''


{{Quote|text=ਸਰਗੁਨ ਨਿਰਗੁਨ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧੀ ਆਪਿ ॥
* '''He is the ultimate Protector of all beings'''
''The Lord is kind and compassionate to all beings and creatures; His Protecting Hand is over all. ([[Guru Granth Sahib]] Page 300)''
* '''Only with His Will can pain, poverty, disease and hardships be removed from one's life.'''
''O Nanak, God has been kind and compassionate; He has blessed me. Removing pain and poverty, He has blended me with Himself. ||8||5|| ([[Guru Granth Sahib]] Page 1311)''


Saraguna Niraguna Niraṅkāra Sunna Samādhī Āpi {{!}}{{!}}
*'''God is everywhere'''
''Nanak is attuned to the Love of the Lord, whose Light pervades the entire Universe. ([[Guru Granth Sahib]] Page 49)''


He possesses all qualities; He transcends all qualities;
== Bibliography ==
He is the Formless Lord. He Himself is in Primal Samaadhi.|sign=SGGS. Sukhmani Sahib Ang 290|source=}}


When it pleases God, them become [[Sarguna]] (Sanskrit Saguna = with attributes) and manifests Himself in creation. He becomes immanent in His created universe, which is His own emanation, an aspect of Himself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gurbani.org/gurblog/sargun-nirgun/|title=Sargun Nirgun {{!}} Gurbani Blog {{!}} ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਬਲੌਗ|website=www.gurbani.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref>
1. Sabadarth Sri Guru Granthsar, 1959


=== Omnipotence ===
2. Jodh Singh, Bhai, Gurmati Nirnaya. Amritsar, 1932
"God himself is the Creator and the Cause, the Doer and the Deed."<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective|title=Guru Granth A Perspective|last=www.DiscoverSikhism.com|pages=[https://archive.org/details/GuruGranthAPerspective/page/n155 145]}}</ref> Sikh thought is strictly monotheistic and believes that this Universe is creation of God. Its origins are in God, it operates under the Command of God ([[Hukam]]), and its end is in God; God is the [[Omnipotent]] being, the sole cause of Creation, Preservation, and Destruction.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rFm9_Jc1ykcC&q=atma+merges+in+parmatma+sikhism&pg=PA266|title=A Complete Guide to Sikhism|last=Singh|first=Jagraj|date=2009|publisher=Unistar Books|isbn=9788171427543|pages=252|language=en}}</ref> It consults none in creating and demolishing, giving and taking and does everything Itself. The Nirbhau (lit. Fearless) Almighty does not fear anyone and exercises Its unquestionable will.


=== Omnibenevolence ===
3. Pritam Singh, ed., Sikh Phalsaphe di Rup Rekhla. Amritsar, 1975
It is kind and merciful, the [[Omnibenevolent]] Lord. The Bestow-er of all things (Divanhaar); apart from It, there is no other Giver. It provides the body, the breath, food to Its creations. It is also a great Pardoner; pardoning all our mistakes, they bestows Virtue on the repenting souls and adds Blessedness on the &nbsp;striving virtuous.<ref name=":2" /> The Almighty sustains His Creation compassionately and benevolently. In SatGuru Granth, God is called as "Kareem" (Merciful); the complacent Lord who, in Its compassion, blesses the miserable with Its Nadar (graceful vision).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ED0syBKqafMC&q=benevolence+of+god+sikhism&pg=PA44|title=The Sikh and Sikhism|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distri|pages=44|language=en}}</ref> The Nirvair (lit. without enmity/hatred) God does not hate anyone and glances their merciful vision on every being, indifferently. All are one Its view.


"The Lord is kind and compassionate to all beings and creatures; His Protecting Hand is over all." (SGGS. Ang 300)
4. Sher Singh, The Philosophy of Sikhism. Lahore, 1944


=== Gender ===
5. Kapur Singh, Parasaraprasna. Amritsar, 1989
Main Article - [[Gender of God in Sikhism]]


According to Sikhi, God has "No" Gender. Mool Mantar describes God as being "Ajuni" (lit. not in any incarnations) which implies that God is not bound to any physical forms. This concludes: the All-pervading Lord is Gender-less.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gurbani.org/articles/webart270.htm|title=IS GOD MALE OR FEMALE?|website=www.gurbani.org|language=en|access-date=2017-12-08}}</ref>
Above adapted from article By G. S. Talib


{{Quote|text=ਸੁੰਨ ਮੰਡਲ ਇਕੁ ਜੋਗੀ ਬੈਸੇ ॥ ਨਾਰਿ ਨ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਕਹਹੁ ਕੋਊ ਕੈਸੇ ॥ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਣ ਜੋਤਿ ਰਹੇ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਈ ॥ ਸੁਰਿ ਨਰ ਨਾਥ ਸਚੇ ਸਰਣਾਈ ॥
* [http://globalsikhstudies.net/r_link/articles.htm Concepts In Sikhism - Edited by Dr. Surinder Singh Sodhi]
Sunna maṇḍala iku Jogī baise. Nāra na purakhu kahahu ko'ū kaise. Tribhavaṇ joti rahe liva lā'ī. Suri nara nātha sace saraṇā'ī
you


The Yogi, the Primal Lord, sits in the Realm of Absolute Stillness (state free of mind's wanderings or Phurne). (Since God) is neither male nor female; how can anyone describe Him? The three worlds center their attention on His Light. The godly beings and the Yogic masters seek the Sanctuary of this True Lord.|sign=SGGS. Ang 685}}
== See also ==


However, the Guru Granth Sahib consistently refers to God as "He" and "Father" (with some exceptions), typically because the Guru Granth Sahib was written in north Indian [[Indo-Aryan language]]s ([[Sant Bhasha|mixture]] of [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Sant Bhasha]], [[Sanskrit]] with influences of [[Persian language|Persian]]) which have no neutral gender. English translations of the teachings may eliminate any gender specifications. From further insights into the Sikh philosophy, it can be deduced that God is, sometimes, referred to as the Husband to the soul-brides, in order to make a patriarchal society understand what the relationship with God is like. Also, God is considered to be our Father, Mother, and Companion.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sikhwomen.com/equality/GodsGender.htm|title=God's Gender|website=www.sikhwomen.com|access-date=2017-12-08}}</ref>
*[[God]]
*[[Names of God]]
*[[Conceptions of God]]
*[[Existence of God]]


=== Names for God ===
[[Category:Sikh terms]]
Main Article – [[Names of God in Sikhism|Names for God in Sikhism]]

Sikhi greatly emphasizes the name of God. The [[Guru Granth Sahib|Adi Granth]] emphasizes ''[[Nāma|Naam]]'', the name of the God as through meditating on the Naam, one can meet God, opening up ones tenth spiritual gate and experience 'Anand' indescribable bliss.
Sikhi believes in Monotheism. God has been called by many Attributive names [action-related names, Kirtan Naam (SGGS. Ang 1083), or Karam Naam ([[Dasam Granth]], [[Jaap Sahib]]) in Sikh literature, picked from Indian and Semitic traditions.<ref name=":0" />

They are called in terms of human relations as our Father, Mother, Brother, Companion, Friend, Lover, Beloved, and Husband.<ref name=":1" />

Other names, expressive of His supremacy are Thakur (lit. Lord), Prabhu (lit. God), Swami, Shah (lit. King), Paatshah (lit. Master King), Sahib, Allah (God), [[Khuda]] (Persian word for Allah), Rahim, Karim, Sain (Lord, Master).

God has also been referred to, in Sikh literature as Hari, Sridhar, Kamla-pati, SriRang, Vishwambhar, Krishna, Saringdhar, ParaBrahma, Paramatma, Pyara, Nath, GopiNath, Jagannath, ChakraPan, Ram, Narayan, Govind, Gopal and many more.

Though these names are mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs are ordered by the Gurus to meditate by chanting Waheguru, the Name of God, to meet God and experience 'Anand', which Bhai Gurdas states in his Varan to signify, Wah (Praise) Hey (you) Guru (God).

Other attributive names include Nirankar (Formless), Niranjan (without sin), Data or Datar (lit. The Giver), Karta or Kartar (lit. The Doer), Dayal (Compassionate), Kripal (Benevolent) and many more.

Names peculiar to Sikhism for God are ''[[Naam]]'' (lit. ''name''), ''Shabad'' (''word'') and ''Waheguru'' (Wow true Master''). While ''Naam'' and ''Shabad'' are mystical terms standing for the Divine Manifestation, Waheyguru is a phrase expressing awe, wonder, and ecstatic joy of the worshiper as he/she comprehends the greatness and grandeur of the Lord and their Creation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://the-many-names-of-god.com/god-sikhism/name-of-god-waheguru/|title=Name Of God – Waheguru|date=2012-10-20|work=The Many Names Of God And Their Meanings|access-date=2017-12-11|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Beliefs ==

=== Reincarnation ===
The center belief of Sikh thought is the soul would reincarnate in this universe unless it attains the state&nbsp;of ''[[moksha|mukti]]'' (liberation), which is to be achieved through the grace of God.<ref name=":3" />&nbsp;In its corporeal attire, the soul passes through cycles of transmigration.&nbsp;Through Divine Grace and ones actions, it can merge back into the Absolute Soul ([[Paramatma]]) and escape the throes of birth and&nbsp;death again and again.&nbsp;<ref name=":7" />

=== Revelation ===
[[File:A Scene of Revelation of Guru Nanak.png|thumb|A Scene of Revelation. From the Guler set of [[Janamsakhis|Janam-sakhi]] painting. Attributed to the Seu-Nainsukh workshop. Pahari. Last quarter of the eighteenth century]]
The Mool Mantar ends with {{not a typo|Gurparsad(i)}} (lit. by God's Grace), which expresses the belief of Sikh thought that God would be revealed to the Soul through [[SatGuru]]'s grace. In Sikh theology SatGuru appears in three different but allied connotations, viz. God, the ten [[Sikh SatGurus]], and the gur-[[Shabad (hymn)|shabad]] as preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib.

"Blessing us with His Grace, the Kind and Compassionate All-powerful Lord comes to dwell within the mind and body. (SGGS. Ang 49)"

Knowledge of the ultimate Reality is not a matter for reason; it comes by [[revelation]] of the ultimate reality through ''nadar'' (grace) and by ''[[anubhava]]'' (mystical experience). Guru Nanak says, ''{{lang|pa|budhi pathi na paiai bahu chaturaiai bhai milai mani bhane}}'' which translates to "He is not accessible through intellect, or through mere scholarship or cleverness at argument; He is met, when He pleases, through devotion" (SGGS, Ang 436).

=== Mysticism ===
[[Mysticism]] is the experience of becoming one with The Almighty, which Guru Nanak states as Sach-Khand (Realm of Truth), where the soul is immersed completely in the Divine Will.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sikhphilosophy.net/threads/sikhism-and-sachkhand.3745/|title=Sikhism And Sachkhand|work=Sikh Philosophy Network Forum|access-date=2017-12-12|language=en-US}}</ref> The primal belief of Sikhism is of the Spirit to get merged into the Divinity. The Guru Granth Sahib proclaims human incarnation as a chance to meet God and to enter into the Mystic Reality.
{{Quote|text=ਭਈ ਪਰਾਪਤਿ ਮਾਨੁਖ ਦੇਹੁਰੀਆ ॥
भई परापति मानुख देहुरीआ ॥

Bẖa▫ī parāpaṯ mānukẖ ḏehurī▫ā.

This human body has been given to you.

ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਮਿਲਣ ਕੀ ਇਹ ਤੇਰੀ ਬਰੀਆ ॥

गोबिंद मिलण की इह तेरी बरीआ ॥

Gobinḏ milaṇ kī ih ṯerī barī▫ā.

This is your chance to meet the Lord of the Universe.|sign=SGGS. Ang 12}}
It is a devoted&nbsp;[[meditation]]&nbsp;([[simran]])&nbsp;that enables a sort of communication between the Infinite and finite human&nbsp;[[consciousness]].&nbsp;There is, chiefly, the remembrance of God through the recitation of their name<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=1085&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0&fb=0|title=Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib|website=www.srigranth.org|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref> and surrendering of the self to God's presence, often metaphorized as surrendering one's self to the Lord's feet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=1237&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0&fb=0|title=Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib|website=www.srigranth.org|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref> The ultimate destination of a Sikh is to lose his egoism completely in the love of the Lord and finally merge into him.&nbsp;

== Practices ==

=== Five Vices ===
Those, who follow the instincts of their mind, under the influence of the five vices – lust, anger, greed, attachment, and pride – and ego will wander miserably in the cycle of birth and rebirth. They are known as ''[[Manmukh|Manmukhs]]''.<ref name=":0" />
# [[Kaam]] (Lust)
# [[Krodh]] (Wrath)
# [[Ahankar]] (Ego)
# [[Lobh]] (Greed)
# [[Moh]] (Attachment)

=== Three Duties ===
# [[Naam Japo]] (Meditating via Chanting God's Name)
# [[Kirat Karo]] (Honestly work to earn livelihood)
# [[Vand Chhako]] (Share what you have with the needy)

==See also==
{{Portal|Religion}}
* [[Conceptions of God]]
* [[God]]
* [[Existence of God]]
* [[Names of God]]
* [[Jaap Sahib]]
*[[Waheguru]]

==Bibliography==
* Sabadarth Sri Guru Granthsar, 1959
* Jodh Singh, Bhai, Gurmati Nirnaya. Amritsar, 1932
* Pritam Singh, ed., Sikh Phalsaphe di Rup Rekhla. Amritsar, 1975
* Sher Singh, ''The Philosophy of Sikhism''. Lahore, 1944
* Kapur Singh, Parasaraprasna. Amritsar, 1989

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Theology}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:God In Sikhism}}
[[Category:God in Sikhism| ]]
[[Category:Conceptions of God]]
[[Category:Conceptions of God]]
[[Category:Sikh beliefs]]
[[Category:Sikh beliefs]]

Latest revision as of 22:07, 29 September 2024

The Sikh Symbol "Ik Onkar", often used to symbolize God in Sikhism

In Sikhism, God is conceived as the Oneness that permeates the entirety of creation and beyond. It abides within all of creation[1] as symbolized by the symbol Ik Onkar.[2] The One is indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who surrenders their egoism and meditates upon that Oneness.[3] The Sikh gurus have described God in numerous ways in their hymns included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism, but the oneness of formless God is consistently emphasized throughout.

God is described in the Mul Mantar (lit. the Prime Utterance),[4][5] the first passage in the Guru Granth Sahib:

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ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ikk ōankār sat(i)-nām(u) karatā purakh(u) nirabha'u niravair(u) akāla mūrat(i) ajūnī saibhan(g) gur(a) prasād(i).
There is only one God, and It is called the truth, It exists in all creation, and It has no fear, It does not hate, and It is timeless, universal and self-existent! You will come to know it through the grace of the Guru.

— Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 1

General conceptions

[edit]

Monotheism

[edit]

Sikhi is monotheistic and believes that there is only One God. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhi strongly denounces any type of Pakhand (hypocrisy or duality). Nanak prefixed the numeral "IK" (one) to the syllable Onkar to stress the idea of God's oneness; that the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer is One.[6] Sikh thought begins with the One Almighty and then universalising God, coming down to the cosmic reality of all-pervading creator.[7] While God is described as without gender, God is also described through numerous metaphors, such as:

ਏਕੁ ਪਿਤਾ ਏਕਸ ਕੇ ਹਮ ਬਾਰਿਕ ਤੂ ਮੇਰਾ ਗੁਰ ਹਾਈ ॥

"Ek(u) pitaa ekas ke ham baarik"

"The One God is the Father of all;

We are His children."

— SGGS. Ang (limb) 611

Panentheism

[edit]

Some scholars have defined Sikhism's conceptualization of God as a form of panentheism.[8][9][10]

Priority Monism

[edit]

Sikhi complies with the concept of Priority Monism, a view point that all existing things go back to a Source that is distinct from them. It is the belief that all that our senses comprehend is illusion; God is the sole reality. Forms being subject to Time, shall pass away. God's Reality alone is eternal and abiding.[11] The thought is such that Aatmaa (soul) is born from and a reflection of ParamAatma( Supreme Soul),[12] and would again merge into it just as water merges back into the water, like a drop of water merging with the ocean.

ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਮਹਿ ਜਲੁ ਆਇ ਖਟਾਨਾ ॥

Ji'u Jala Mahi Jala Ā'i Khaṭānā ||

As water comes to blend with water,

ਤਿਉ ਜੋਤੀ ਸੰਗਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਮਾਨਾ ॥

Ti'u Jōtī Saṅi Jōti Samānā ||

Their light blends into the Light.

— SGGS. Ang 278

God and Soul are identical in the same way as Fire and its sparks; fundamentally same as is stated in SatGuru Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, "Aatam meh Ram, Ram meh Aatam", which means "The Ultimate Eternal Lord is the soul and the soul is the Ultimate Eternal Lord". As from one stream, millions of waves arise and yet the waves, made of water, again become water; in the same way all souls have sprung from the Universal Being and would blend again into it.[13]

Waheguru

[edit]

There are frequent references to God in the perspective of all the various religions in the Guru Granth Sahib. The Guru Granth Sahib acknowledges perspectives of God in all religions.[14] Guru Granth Sahib teaches that God is one almighty power.[15]

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Types of faith
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In particular religions
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  • Experiences
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Specific conceptions

[edit]

Great Architect

[edit]

Sikh philosophy believes that the Oneness is the Great Architect of Universe. It alone is the Creator, Sustain-er, and Destroyer; Ek.[16] God is Karta Purakh, the Creator-Being[11] who created the spatial-temporal Universe from their own Self; the Universe is their own emanation. Guru Arjan advocates: “The One is true and true is Its creation [because] all has emanated from God Itself” (SGGS Ang294).

Before creation, God existed all alone as Nirgun (attributeless) in a state of Sunn Samadhi, deep meditation, as says Guru Nanak.[17]

"There was darkness for countless years.

There was neither earth nor sky; there was only Its Will.

There was neither day nor night, neither sun nor moon.

They (God) were in deep meditation.

There was nothing except Itself."

— SGGS. Ang 1035

Then, God willed and created the Universe, and diffused Itself into the nature as Sargun (with attributes).[18]

Creation

[edit]

It is believed in Sikhi that the Universe was created by a single word of the God.[16] Whilst the universe was created, a sound was produced as a result. The sound is noted in the first word in the Guru Granth Sahib – ੴ, Ik Oangkar. The syllable "Oang" is the sound that was created whilst the universe was created. The Transcendent God expressed themselves in "Naam" and "Sabad" that created the world. "Naam" and "Sabad" are the 'Creative and Dynamic Immanence of God'.[6]

ਕੀਤਾ ਪਸਾਉ ਏਕੋ ਕਵਾਉ ॥

Keethaa Pasaao Eieko Kavaao ||

You created the vast expanse of the Universe with One Word!

ਤਿਸ ਤੇ ਹੋਏ ਲਖ ਦਰੀਆਉ ॥

This Thae Hoeae Lakh Dhareeaao ||

Hundreds of thousands of rivers began to flow.

— SGGS. Ang 3

Creation of the universe

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'Baba Nanak and Nirankara (formless reality, Waheguru, or the Supreme God)', early 19th century Janamsakhi painting from a Kashmiri manuscript

Sikh philosophy enunciates the belief that the limits of Time and Space are known only to God. Answers to the questions of "When did the Universe come into existence?" or "How big is this Universe?" are beyond human understanding. The best course, as Guru Nanak declares, is to admit a sense of wonderfulness or Vismad, since "the featureless Void was in ceaseless Existence".[19] As to the Time of Creation, Nanak, in Jap(u) Sahib, recites that:

What was that time, and what was that moment? What was that day, and what was that date?

What was that season, and what was that month, when the Universe was created?

The Pandits, the religious scholars, cannot find that time, even if it is written in the Puranas.

That time is not known to the Qazis, who study the Koran.

The day and the date are not known to the Yogis, nor is the month or the season.

Attributes

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Eternalness

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God, as stated in the Guru Granth Sahib, is Akal Murat, the Eternal Being;It is beyond time and ever the same.[20] "Saibhan(g)", another attribute to God means that no one else but God created the creation. They are, shall be, was not born, and will not die; never created and hence, shall never be destroyed.[21] The phrase "Ad(i) Sach", True in the Primal Beginning, in the Mool mantar proves the notion of the eternalness of God in Sikhi.

Transcendence and Immanence

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Sikhi advocates a panentheistic tone when it enunciates the belief that God is both, transcendent and immanent, or "Nirgun" and "Sargun" (as stated in the Sikh terminology), at the same time. God created the Universe and permeates both within and without.[22]

ਸਰਗੁਨ ਨਿਰਗੁਨ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧੀ ਆਪਿ ॥

Saraguna Niraguna Niraṅkāra Sunna Samādhī Āpi ||

He possesses all qualities; He transcends all qualities;

He is the Formless Lord. He Himself is in Primal Samaadhi.

— SGGS. Sukhmani Sahib Ang 290

When it pleases God, them become Sarguna (Sanskrit Saguna = with attributes) and manifests Himself in creation. He becomes immanent in His created universe, which is His own emanation, an aspect of Himself.[23]

Omnipotence

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"God himself is the Creator and the Cause, the Doer and the Deed."[24] Sikh thought is strictly monotheistic and believes that this Universe is creation of God. Its origins are in God, it operates under the Command of God (Hukam), and its end is in God; God is the Omnipotent being, the sole cause of Creation, Preservation, and Destruction.[25] It consults none in creating and demolishing, giving and taking and does everything Itself. The Nirbhau (lit. Fearless) Almighty does not fear anyone and exercises Its unquestionable will.

Omnibenevolence

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It is kind and merciful, the Omnibenevolent Lord. The Bestow-er of all things (Divanhaar); apart from It, there is no other Giver. It provides the body, the breath, food to Its creations. It is also a great Pardoner; pardoning all our mistakes, they bestows Virtue on the repenting souls and adds Blessedness on the  striving virtuous.[24] The Almighty sustains His Creation compassionately and benevolently. In SatGuru Granth, God is called as "Kareem" (Merciful); the complacent Lord who, in Its compassion, blesses the miserable with Its Nadar (graceful vision).[26] The Nirvair (lit. without enmity/hatred) God does not hate anyone and glances their merciful vision on every being, indifferently. All are one Its view.

"The Lord is kind and compassionate to all beings and creatures; His Protecting Hand is over all." (SGGS. Ang 300)

Gender

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Main Article - Gender of God in Sikhism

According to Sikhi, God has "No" Gender. Mool Mantar describes God as being "Ajuni" (lit. not in any incarnations) which implies that God is not bound to any physical forms. This concludes: the All-pervading Lord is Gender-less.[27]

ਸੁੰਨ ਮੰਡਲ ਇਕੁ ਜੋਗੀ ਬੈਸੇ ॥ ਨਾਰਿ ਨ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਕਹਹੁ ਕੋਊ ਕੈਸੇ ॥ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਣ ਜੋਤਿ ਰਹੇ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਈ ॥ ਸੁਰਿ ਨਰ ਨਾਥ ਸਚੇ ਸਰਣਾਈ ॥

Sunna maṇḍala iku Jogī baise. Nāra na purakhu kahahu ko'ū kaise. Tribhavaṇ joti rahe liva lā'ī. Suri nara nātha sace saraṇā'ī

The Yogi, the Primal Lord, sits in the Realm of Absolute Stillness (state free of mind's wanderings or Phurne). (Since God) is neither male nor female; how can anyone describe Him? The three worlds center their attention on His Light. The godly beings and the Yogic masters seek the Sanctuary of this True Lord.

— SGGS. Ang 685

However, the Guru Granth Sahib consistently refers to God as "He" and "Father" (with some exceptions), typically because the Guru Granth Sahib was written in north Indian Indo-Aryan languages (mixture of Punjabi and Sant Bhasha, Sanskrit with influences of Persian) which have no neutral gender. English translations of the teachings may eliminate any gender specifications. From further insights into the Sikh philosophy, it can be deduced that God is, sometimes, referred to as the Husband to the soul-brides, in order to make a patriarchal society understand what the relationship with God is like. Also, God is considered to be our Father, Mother, and Companion.[28]

Names for God

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Main Article – Names for God in Sikhism

Sikhi greatly emphasizes the name of God. The Adi Granth emphasizes Naam, the name of the God as through meditating on the Naam, one can meet God, opening up ones tenth spiritual gate and experience 'Anand' indescribable bliss. Sikhi believes in Monotheism. God has been called by many Attributive names [action-related names, Kirtan Naam (SGGS. Ang 1083), or Karam Naam (Dasam Granth, Jaap Sahib) in Sikh literature, picked from Indian and Semitic traditions.[3]

They are called in terms of human relations as our Father, Mother, Brother, Companion, Friend, Lover, Beloved, and Husband.[28]

Other names, expressive of His supremacy are Thakur (lit. Lord), Prabhu (lit. God), Swami, Shah (lit. King), Paatshah (lit. Master King), Sahib, Allah (God), Khuda (Persian word for Allah), Rahim, Karim, Sain (Lord, Master).

God has also been referred to, in Sikh literature as Hari, Sridhar, Kamla-pati, SriRang, Vishwambhar, Krishna, Saringdhar, ParaBrahma, Paramatma, Pyara, Nath, GopiNath, Jagannath, ChakraPan, Ram, Narayan, Govind, Gopal and many more.

Though these names are mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs are ordered by the Gurus to meditate by chanting Waheguru, the Name of God, to meet God and experience 'Anand', which Bhai Gurdas states in his Varan to signify, Wah (Praise) Hey (you) Guru (God).

Other attributive names include Nirankar (Formless), Niranjan (without sin), Data or Datar (lit. The Giver), Karta or Kartar (lit. The Doer), Dayal (Compassionate), Kripal (Benevolent) and many more.

Names peculiar to Sikhism for God are Naam (lit. name), Shabad (word) and Waheguru (Wow true Master). While Naam and Shabad are mystical terms standing for the Divine Manifestation, Waheyguru is a phrase expressing awe, wonder, and ecstatic joy of the worshiper as he/she comprehends the greatness and grandeur of the Lord and their Creation.[29]

Beliefs

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Reincarnation

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The center belief of Sikh thought is the soul would reincarnate in this universe unless it attains the state of mukti (liberation), which is to be achieved through the grace of God.[1] In its corporeal attire, the soul passes through cycles of transmigration. Through Divine Grace and ones actions, it can merge back into the Absolute Soul (Paramatma) and escape the throes of birth and death again and again. [12]

Revelation

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A Scene of Revelation. From the Guler set of Janam-sakhi painting. Attributed to the Seu-Nainsukh workshop. Pahari. Last quarter of the eighteenth century

The Mool Mantar ends with Gurparsad(i) (lit. by God's Grace), which expresses the belief of Sikh thought that God would be revealed to the Soul through SatGuru's grace. In Sikh theology SatGuru appears in three different but allied connotations, viz. God, the ten Sikh SatGurus, and the gur-shabad as preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib.

"Blessing us with His Grace, the Kind and Compassionate All-powerful Lord comes to dwell within the mind and body. (SGGS. Ang 49)"

Knowledge of the ultimate Reality is not a matter for reason; it comes by revelation of the ultimate reality through nadar (grace) and by anubhava (mystical experience). Guru Nanak says, budhi pathi na paiai bahu chaturaiai bhai milai mani bhane which translates to "He is not accessible through intellect, or through mere scholarship or cleverness at argument; He is met, when He pleases, through devotion" (SGGS, Ang 436).

Mysticism

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Mysticism is the experience of becoming one with The Almighty, which Guru Nanak states as Sach-Khand (Realm of Truth), where the soul is immersed completely in the Divine Will.[30] The primal belief of Sikhism is of the Spirit to get merged into the Divinity. The Guru Granth Sahib proclaims human incarnation as a chance to meet God and to enter into the Mystic Reality.

ਭਈ ਪਰਾਪਤਿ ਮਾਨੁਖ ਦੇਹੁਰੀਆ ॥

भई परापति मानुख देहुरीआ ॥

Bẖa▫ī parāpaṯ mānukẖ ḏehurī▫ā.

This human body has been given to you.

ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਮਿਲਣ ਕੀ ਇਹ ਤੇਰੀ ਬਰੀਆ ॥

गोबिंद मिलण की इह तेरी बरीआ ॥

Gobinḏ milaṇ kī ih ṯerī barī▫ā.

This is your chance to meet the Lord of the Universe.

— SGGS. Ang 12

It is a devoted meditation (simran) that enables a sort of communication between the Infinite and finite human consciousness. There is, chiefly, the remembrance of God through the recitation of their name[31] and surrendering of the self to God's presence, often metaphorized as surrendering one's self to the Lord's feet.[32] The ultimate destination of a Sikh is to lose his egoism completely in the love of the Lord and finally merge into him. 

Practices

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Five Vices

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Those, who follow the instincts of their mind, under the influence of the five vices – lust, anger, greed, attachment, and pride – and ego will wander miserably in the cycle of birth and rebirth. They are known as Manmukhs.[3]

  1. Kaam (Lust)
  2. Krodh (Wrath)
  3. Ahankar (Ego)
  4. Lobh (Greed)
  5. Moh (Attachment)

Three Duties

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  1. Naam Japo (Meditating via Chanting God's Name)
  2. Kirat Karo (Honestly work to earn livelihood)
  3. Vand Chhako (Share what you have with the needy)

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Sabadarth Sri Guru Granthsar, 1959
  • Jodh Singh, Bhai, Gurmati Nirnaya. Amritsar, 1932
  • Pritam Singh, ed., Sikh Phalsaphe di Rup Rekhla. Amritsar, 1975
  • Sher Singh, The Philosophy of Sikhism. Lahore, 1944
  • Kapur Singh, Parasaraprasna. Amritsar, 1989

References

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  1. ^ a b "BBC – Religions – Sikhism: Sikh Beliefs". Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  2. ^ "Sikhism Religion of the Sikh People". www.sikhs.org. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  3. ^ a b c "Different Names of GOD incorporated in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji". www.speakingtree.in. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  4. ^ Indif.com. "The Sikh Mool Mantra – Ik Omkar". www.indif.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  5. ^ "BBC – GCSE Bitesize: The Mool Mantar". Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  6. ^ a b "Sikhism and Monotheism". fateh.sikhnet.com. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  7. ^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. "Monotheism in Guru Granth Sahib". Guru Granth A Perspective. pp. 138.
  8. ^ Takhar, Opinderjit Kaur (2016). Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs. Routledge. ISBN 9781351900102. Since the Sikh concept of the divine is panentheistic, the divine is always greater than the created universe, its systems such as karma and samsara, and all phenomena within it. In Sikhism, due to the sovereignty of God, the doctrines of Nadar and Hukam override all systems, both concepts reinforcing panentheism. Hence one becomes a jivanmukt only in accordance with the Hukam.
  9. ^ Reynolds, William M.; Webber, Julie A. (2004). Expanding Curriculum Theory: Dis/positions and Lines of Flight. Routledge. p. 90. ISBN 9781135621278. Like the God-of-process theologians in the West (Whitehead, Cobb, Griffin, Hartshorne), the God of Sikhism is a dynamic God, a process moving within humankind, pervasive within the hearts of people, yet transcendent and eternal. The Sikh God is one with whom devotees become wholly absorbed: "As the fish, I find the life of absorption in the water that is God" (Sri Guru Granth. 1988, p. 166). As the fish is absorbed in the water that is God, the soul is absorbed in the lightness that is God. The fish, even though absorbed in the water that is God, does not lose its fishness, its fish identity-formation, even though absorbed in the light that is God. A panentheistic system, such as Sikhsim, allows the soul to retain its soulness while merging with God. The soul, in other words, is not identical with God, even after merging with God, but one might say God is part of the soul. A strict identity soul = God is incarnationism and this is considered anathema in Sikhism. The Granth uses the beloved/lover metaphor for the relation of the self to God. God is the beloved and the devo tee is the lover. The lover retains her identity yet merges with her beloved.
  10. ^ Singh, Pashaura; Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh (2023). The Sikh world. London New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780429848384. In looking at the teachings of the Gurus as a whole, it seems that Lourdunathan overstates the degree to which Sikh scripture is anti-monistic. Guru Nanak famously referred to the world as a "palace of smoke" (GGS: 138) and made countless references to the idea of maya (Illusion). While the Gurus did not teach a radical nondualism, it is perhaps more accurate to suggest that some aspects of Sikh thought constitute a qualified nondualism (in which Creator and Creation are part of the same whole) (GGS: 125) or panentheism (in which the Creator pervades the natural world) (GGS: 24), while many others are monotheistic, including passages in Japji Sahib, where God is described as the King of Kings (GGS: 6). These different interpretations lend themselves to varying understandings of the relationship between the natural world and divinity.
  11. ^ a b "The Idea Of The Supreme Being (God) In Sikhism – Sikhism Articles – Gateway to Sikhism". Gateway to Sikhism. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  12. ^ a b Gujral, Maninder S. "ATMA". The Sikh Encyclopedia -ਸਿੱਖ ਧਰਮ ਵਿਸ਼ਵਕੋਸ਼. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  13. ^ Singh, Jagraj (2009). A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. p. 266. ISBN 9788171427543.
  14. ^ "Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib". Archived from the original on 2020-01-01.
  15. ^ "Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib". Archived from the original on 2020-01-01.
  16. ^ a b "BBC – GCSE Bitesize: The origins of the universe". p. 1. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  17. ^ Munde, Amarpreet Singh. "Introduction to Sikhism – Section II: God and His Universe". www.gurmat.info. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  18. ^ "BBC – GCSE Bitesize: Evolutionary biology". Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  19. ^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. "Cosmology in Guru Granth Sahib". Guru Granth A Perspective. pp. 129.
  20. ^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. "Monotheism In SatGuru Granth Sahib". Guru Granth A Perspective. pp. 140.
  21. ^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. "Monotheism In Guru Granth Sahib". Guru Granth A Perspective. pp. 144.
  22. ^ "Sargun Nirgun Nirankar". www.speakingtree.in. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  23. ^ "Sargun Nirgun | Gurbani Blog | ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਬਲੌਗ". www.gurbani.org. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  24. ^ a b www.DiscoverSikhism.com. Guru Granth A Perspective. pp. 145.
  25. ^ Singh, Jagraj (2009). A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. p. 252. ISBN 9788171427543.
  26. ^ The Sikh and Sikhism. Atlantic Publishers & Distri. p. 44.
  27. ^ "IS GOD MALE OR FEMALE?". www.gurbani.org. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  28. ^ a b "God's Gender". www.sikhwomen.com. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  29. ^ "Name Of God – Waheguru". The Many Names Of God And Their Meanings. 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  30. ^ "Sikhism And Sachkhand". Sikh Philosophy Network Forum. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  31. ^ "Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib". www.srigranth.org. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  32. ^ "Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib". www.srigranth.org. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
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