Ik Onkar

Not to be confused with Eckankar, the American new religious movement.
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 God",[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]

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ Cite error: The named reference M-W Ik Onkar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  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."