Ik Onkar, also spelled Ek Onkar, is a phrase in Sikhism that denotes the one supreme reality. It is a central tenet of Sikh religious philosophy. Ik Onkar are the first words of the Mul Mantar and also the opening words of the Sikh holy scriptureGuru Granth Sahib. Ik is interpreted as "one and only one, who cannot be compared or contrasted with any other", 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, the Supreme Reality." Ik Onkar has a distinct spelling in the Gurmukhi script and the phrase is found in many Sikh religious scriptures and inscribed in places of worship such as gurdwaras.
In Mul Mantar
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. Further, the Mul Mantar is also at the beginning of the Japji Sahib, followed by 38 hymns and a final Salok at the end of this composition.
Description
Ik Onkar is the statement of oneness in Sikhism, that is 'there is one God'. According to Wendy Doniger, the phrase is a compound of ik and onkar, canonically understood in Sikhism to refer to "absolute monotheistic unity of God". Etymologically, the wordonkar denotes the sacred sound Om or the Absolute in a number of Indian religions. Nevertheless, Sikhs give it an entirely different meaning. 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", 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'." Onkar is, according Wazir Singh, a "variation of Om of the ancient Indian scriptures, implying the seed-force that evolves as the universe." 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". Pashaura Singh goes on to state, 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, with the numeral ੧ as emphasizing the unity of Akal Purakh in monotheistic terms. Other common terms for the one supreme reality alongside Ik Oankar, dating from the Gurus' time include the most commonly used term, Akal Purakh, "Eternal One," in the sense of Nirankar, "the One without form," and Waheguru.
