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IkOankar (1Force, The One, Divine, Creator) is Guru Nanak Sahib’s offering to humanity, and the opening of the Guru Granth Sahib. Through this worldview, Guru Nanak Sahib affirms the completeness and oneness of all of creation which is inseparable from the Creator. All things are rooted in this same Divinity, and the recognition of that Divine Force running through all of creation allows us to dissolve away the walls we have put up between ourselves and others, the distinctions we make, and the lines we draw.
Guru Nanak’s paradigm has no concept of “other.” This Divine Force is not an exclusive Sikh Divinity but one that is common to all life and embraces all creation. Thus, the Sikh worldview is that divinity is not exclusive to any one religion or group of people. Instead, IkOankar can be realized by anyone willing to discover the Infinite Wisdom through love. Sikhs strive to follow a path that is divine-oriented and principle-based, a lifestyle that is humble and disciplined and ever-ready to combat injustice through organized resistance.
Words of Faith: a new series explaining the recurring words in Guru Granth Sahib.
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Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib.
View profile ⟶The Sikh Research Institute recognizes its ethical responsibility to promptly correct any factual small or large errors. Please get in touch with us via email to request a correction if you have identified a mistake.
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Sheikh Farid Ji is one of the fifteen Bhagat contributors to the Guru Granth Sahib. The Guru Granth Sahib contains four Sabads and one hundred and twelve saloks by him.
Rag Asa is a musical mode that evokes hope, yearning, and the desire to move from darkness toward light. In this composition, our attention is turned inwards, and we are offered not just a moment for reflection but the possibility of transcendence.
The Guru Granth Sahib Project has released annotations on all three Sabads (compositions) by Bhagat Beni Ji, one each set in Rags Srirag, Ramkali, and Prabhati. Each composition reflects unique emotions—serious reflection, compassion, and deep devotion.
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